Dianna Russini reportedly told her bosses at The Athletic that bombshell pictures of her holding hands with Mike Vrabel and lounging poolside at an adults-only resort were part of a ‘sexist attack’.
Russini resigned this week from her job as the organization’s main NFL reporter in a defiant statement taking a swipe at the backlash against her since the pictures with the New England Patriots head coach emerged.
Both Russini and Vrabel are married with children but deny having an affair. They claimed they were away with friends as part of a wider group but as per a withering report by ESPN, who Russini once worked for, she failed to provide Athletic bosses with any evidence to support her denial.
She did, the report claims, say that the pictures were ‘a sexist attack on a female reporter in a male-dominated field’ after learning that the photographs had been taken.
The Athletic began by defending Russini vigorously but later put her on leave after more information came to their attention, it was confirmed to Daily Mail. Russini, 43, then quit her job this week before her contract expired in June, insisting she would not let the scandal define her career.
Russini was, by far, the highest-profile female reporter in the NFL before the scandal broke. She has known Vrabel for many years, covering the Tenessee Titans while he was head coach there.
Dianna Russini has resigned from The Athletic amid the storm around Mike Vrabel
A defiant Russini has insisted her resignation does not mean she crossed the line with Vrabel
As well as the pair’s strong denials, there had never been any suggestion over the years that their relationship was anything other than strictly professional.
‘I do so [resign] 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,’ Russini said in her resignation letter.
‘I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published.’
But the shockwaves are still being felt across the NFL and with the draft being held in Pittsburgh this week, it likely won’t simmer down any time soon.
Vrabel has not yet spoken to media since the pictures came out and he didn’t take the Patriots’ pre-draft press conference he led in 2025. But he will face reporters after draft weekend is over.
‘He’s been in there with us, this round of meetings, probably a little more than he was last year,’ vice president of player personnel, Eliot Wolf, said of Vrabel ahead of the big weekend in Pittsburgh.
The NFL is not going to investiage Vrabel, it has since emerged, and the Patriots are right behind him.
He won the Super Bowl as a Patriots player three times and had a magnificent first season as the head coach, flipping them from a 4-13 record the year before into a Super Bowl contender. They were beaten in the showpiece game by Seattle Seahawks.
Russini, who denies cheating, married her husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, in 2020
Owner Robert Kraft and his wife Dana Blumberg pose for a photograph with Mike Vrabel and his wife Jen Vrabel as Vrabel is announced as head coach of the New England Patriots
Remarkably, a wild report emerged on Friday saying that Russini helped an elderly man and his dog escape a car accident in New Jersey. Russini was apparenty driving behind him when the incident happened.
Russini joined The Athletic in 2023 after nearly a decade at ESPN, where she held various roles, including SportsCenter anchor, NFL analyst and insider.
Vrabel is married to his wife, Jen, whom he met while attending Ohio State. Meanwhile, Russini married her husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt, in 2020.
