Dianna Russini, 43, is crediting a mystery NFL player for helping her endure what she called a “nightmare” after her resignation from The Athletic.
The veteran NFL journalist revealed in an interview published Monday that the unnamed athlete sent her supportive texts at 5 a.m. Daily during the fallout from her scandal with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, 50. The messages included questions about how she was bettering herself and encouragement to stay strong through hard times.
“I’m using a lot of that as motivation,” Russini told the outlet, explaining that the outreach is part of why she’s “so energized” about launching her new BetUS TV segment, “The Russini Report,” She added that the support showed her “the people that I cover are welcoming me back with open arms.”
Russini described the outreach from NFL players and coaches as “a motivational tour,” saying that several people checked in with her almost daily while she wasn’t working. “They checked in with me almost daily while I wasn’t working to make sure that I was staying connected to football, to check on me as a person and to just see how I was doing,” she said. The former ESPN reporter noted that multiple people pushed her to return to work after her April resignation.
“I think it’s pretty poetic that here I was all these years telling the story about these players going through adversity, and then they became sort of the people that I was learning from during this,” Russini continued.
The journalist also addressed the allegations about her relationship with Vrabel directly, claiming that “the lies became so out of control.” She described the situation as unstoppable once it began: “This was a runaway train, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Once we realized nothing was going to stop this, it became unhealthy for us to read it because it wasn’t helping us heal. It was piling on and adding to what we were already dealing with.”
Russini characterized the past six months since the scandal as “heartbreaking,” saying, “At the beginning of this, it was a nightmare.”
The interview coincided with a Monday announcement that Russini has joined BetUS Sportsbook as a host and columnist. A press release stated she will host weekly live shows and write a weekly column starting Wednesday. “BetUS Sportsbook is pleased to put all the NFL rumors to rest and announce that Dianna Russini, a veteran sideline reporter for the NFL and celebrated journalist, will join its rapidly growing pool of talented sports media analysts,” the release read.
Russini expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity in the same release. “I’m excited to get back to reporting on the NFL and bring that passion to BetUS,” she stated. “I want to give fans more than just the headlines, sharing insider perspectives, uncovering the stories behind the biggest moments, and helping audiences better understand the teams, players and matchups that shape each week,” She added that she “missed being in the middle of the action.”
The scandal that led to her departure began in March when the outlet published photos showing Russini and Vrabel together at a resort in Sedona, Arizona. The images captured the two spending time by the pool, and later holding hands and hugging at a hotel bungalow. Both Russini and Vrabel, who are married to other people, maintained their interactions were “completely innocent” and that they were at the resort with friends. Separate the outlet photos from March 2020 had previously shown the pair kissing at a New York City bar.
The fallout was swift. Russini, who is married to businessman Kevin Goldschmidt, stepped aside from The Athletic to quell speculation. Vrabel, who is wed to wife Jen, missed Day 3 of the NFL Draft to seek counseling. The Athletic later released internal investigation findings in September, with editorial director for standards and editorial quality Mike Semel writing that the duo’s relationship “was in clear violation of The Athletic’s standards,” Semel added, “Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed.”
Russini’s career spans nearly a decade at ESPN from 2015 to 2023, followed by her role as Senior NFL Insider at The Athletic from August 2023 until her resignation in April 2026.
Her new BetUS show “The Russini Report” begins Wednesday.