Dianna Russini is reportedly telling NFL contacts she plans to return to work next week.
The ousted NFL insider, 43, has been privately informing people around the league of her imminent comeback, according to a source with knowledge of the situation who spoke Sports. Where exactly she will land and in what capacity remains unclear.
Russini’s former ESPN colleague Jon “Stugotz” Wiener had already thrown her a public lifeline. On the April 10 episode of his Fox Sports radio show “Stugotz and Company,” he offered her a seat alongside him and co-host Izzy Gutierrez.
“If The Athletic gets rid of her, she’ll be sitting right next to me and Izzy doing the show,” Wiener said. He continued, “I support my friends, I don’t bail on my friends, especially at their worst professional time in their history. I don’t do that to them, OK?”
Russini’s fall from one of sports media’s most prominent perches began with the outlet bombshell on April 7. The outlet published photos of her and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, 50, together at the luxe Ambiente resort in Sedona, Arizona on March 28. A source said the pair had breakfast on the patio of the hotel restaurant, spent roughly an hour by the pool and hot tub, and were later seen holding hands and hugging in a private bungalow area at sunset.
The two insisted the encounter was innocent, claiming in a joint statement they were at the resort with friends and their interaction was “completely innocent.”
The damage was swift and severe. Russini resigned from her post as Senior NFL Insider at the Athletic on April 14, just seven days after the photos surfaced. In a resignation letter, she explained she was stepping down to halt the speculation and collateral damage swirling around the situation.
Vrabel broke his silence on April 22 at a pre-NFL draft press conference at Gillette Stadium, acknowledging he had faced “difficult conversations” with his family.
“What I can promise you is my family, this organization, this team, the staff, the coaches and the fans most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward,” he told reporters. “And that’s what I know and I’m excited to do that.”
Later that same day, Vrabel revealed he had begun counseling and would not attend Day 3 of the NFL Draft with his team.
The scandal deepened when the outlet published additional photos on April 23 showing Russini and Vrabel kissing at a New York City bar in March 2020. At that time, Vrabel was married to his wife Jen, while Russini wed Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt six months later. Both have two children with their respective spouses.
Before the Athletic, Russini spent eight years at ESPN from 2015 to 2023, building her profile as a national NFL reporter. Her hiring as Senior NFL Insider at the Athletic had represented a major move in sports media circles, bringing one of television’s most visible NFL voices to a subscription-driven digital outlet.
Vrabel, meanwhile, is navigating his own precarious position. The first-year Patriots coach has faced speculation about his job security amid the personal scandal, with reports surfacing that the franchise has eyed potential replacements including Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin should Vrabel step aside.
The outlet conducted its own review of Russini’s work at the Athletic, concluding she had been “noncompliant” with the publication’s standards, though the outlet did not specify which standards were violated or whether the finding related to the relationship itself or its concealment.
Russini had largely maintained public silence since her resignation, making her reported outreach to NFL contacts about a return next week her first meaningful signal of professional activity.
The timeline of her relationship with Vrabel stretches back at least to early 2020, based on the March 2020 bar photos, meaning the connection predated her marriage to Goldschmidt and spanned multiple years while both were publicly committed to other partners.
Vrabel’s wife Jen and Russini’s husband Goldschmidt have not made public statements about the situation.
The Patriots are scheduled to open their 2025 season on the road.