Dianna Russini has thanked a mystery NFL player for sending supportive texts at 5 a.m. as she dealt with the fallout from the scandal involving New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.
The athlete later asked how Russini was working to improve herself and encouraged her “to stay strong through hard times,” she told People in an interview published Monday.
“I’m using a lot of that as motivation,” the journalist said, explaining that the messages are among the reasons she feels “so energized” about the upcoming launch of her BetUS TV segment, “The Russini Report.”
“It’s why I’m not scared to get back in because I know the people that I cover are welcoming me back with open arms,” Russini, 43, added.
The former Athletic reporter praised the loyalty of those within the NFL, describing the support she received from the football community as “a motivational tour.”
“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 told the outlet. Russini said several people encouraged her to return to work after she resigned from The Athletic in April.
“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 also addressed allegations surrounding her relationship with Vrabel, 50, saying that “the lies became so out of control.”
She insisted, “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.”
The former ESPN reporter described the six months following the scandal as “heartbreaking,” telling the outlet, “At the beginning of this, it was a nightmare.”
In a news release obtained by Page Six on Monday, Russini was announced as the latest addition to the BetUS Sportsbook team. She will host weekly live shows and write a weekly column beginning Wednesday.
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The press release stated, “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.”
Elsewhere in the release, Russini said she had “missed being in the middle of the action” while covering the NFL.
“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.”
Russini worked at ESPN from 2015 to 2023 before becoming a senior NFL insider for The Athletic from August 2023 through April 2026. She landed her new role months after Page Six published photos of her and Vrabel at a resort in Sedona, Arizona, in March.
The pair were photographed spending time together by the pool before holding hands and hugging at a hotel bungalow.
Vrabel and Russini, who are married to other people, said they had been at the resort with friends and described their interactions as “completely innocent.”
Separate photos published by Page Six showed Russini and Vrabel kissing at a New York City bar in March 2020.
At the time, Russini, who is married to businessman Kevin Goldschmidt, stepped away from The Athletic to end the speculation. Vrabel, who is married to Jen, missed Day 3 of the NFL Draft while seeking counseling.
In September, The Athletic also released the findings of its internal investigation into the relationship between Vrabel and Russini, concluding that it “was in clear violation of The Athletic’s standards.”
“Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed,” Mike Semel, the outlet’s editorial director for standards and editorial quality, wrote.