A former colleague of Dianna Russini, who also described himself as a “really good friend,” has suggested the NFL insider may not be away from football coverage for long.
Russini stepped down from her role at The Athletic, the sports publication owned by The New York Times Company, in April. Her exit came soon after images circulated showing her at an adults-only resort in Arizona with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
The pictures quickly fueled online speculation about the nature of their relationship. Additional images later surfaced, including photos that appeared to show the pair kissing at a New York bar, reportedly in March 2020.
Our News Outlet also published photos of Vrabel and Russini at a casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, in January 2024. Separate video footage later emerged appearing to show them arriving for a boat outing said to have taken place in June 2021, only months before Russini gave birth to her first son.
At that point, Vrabel was still serving as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, while Russini was covering him in her role as an NFL reporter for ESPN.
Both Vrabel and Russini initially rejected claims that they had been unfaithful to their spouses. Vrabel has since issued an apology for his “actions,” though he did not explicitly acknowledge having an affair.
Russini joined The Athletic in August 2023 after leaving ESPN, taking on a prominent role as a lead NFL reporter. During her time there, she worked alongside national columnist Mike Silver, who has now spoken out publicly in support of his former colleague.
Dianna Russini left her position as an NFL reporter at The Athletic earlier this year
Russini faced questions over her relationship with Mike Vrabel after pictures of the pair
A few days after posting on X that her ‘loved working with Dianna and am bummed that she’s no longer at The Athletic’, Silver appeared on The Tom Talbot Show and suggested she plans to return to the NFL in the near future.
‘Really good friend of mine,’ he said of Russini. ‘Worked with her at The Athletic, for too short of a time, unfortunately.
‘Really, really proud of the journalism we did together and honestly just really bummed that we don’t get to continue it because we worked really well together.’
He later added: ‘And I do think she’s going to be back, probably not as an insider, at least in the short term. But I think she’ll be back in this realm, probably talking about football and other things pretty soon.’
Silver went on to comment on the wellbeing of Russini and her family after the fallout. She is married to Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt, sharing two young sons together, with the couple putting on a united front having been pictured kissing in May as they were seen for the first time since the scandal.
‘I do know her family,’ Silver said. ‘She’s got a great family. And so, you know, a lot of people have had a lot of thoughts about it.
‘I’m not really getting into that, but I would say she is doing a lot better and her family’s doing well.’
MORE STORY: Ashley Dejong’s Husband: A Divorce Story and Relationship Timeline
Despite the focus on the nature of her relationship with Vrabel and the attached debate on its role in her reporting, Silver defended her skill in the role.
Russini has been tipped to return to the NFL in the near future by her former colleague
Russini previously worked for ESPN, where she covered the Titans when Vrabel was coach
Join the discussion
Should personal scandals impact a journalist’s ability to cover major sports leagues like the NFL?
He said: ‘I don’t think people understand the level of elite that she was performing at in terms of keeping in touch with the really important people around the league.
‘And I don’t mean just agents and transactional, like players, coaches, owners, all of it, talking, having real conversations with them every day and really knowing what was going on and competing at a very high level.’
Russini shared her resignation letter to The Athletic’s executive editor, Steven Ginsberg on social media on April 14.
‘I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,’ she wrote.
‘When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful.
‘In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts. Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete.
‘It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.
‘Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.’
