Dianna Marie Russini (born February 11, 1983) is an American former[2] sports journalist who worked as a National Football League (NFL) reporter and insider.

From August 2023 to April 2026, Russini worked as a lead NFL journalist for The Athletic, part of The New York Times.[2][3] She worked for ESPN as an NFL analyst and insider from July 2015 to August 2023, appearing frequently on Sunday NFL Countdown and NFL Live, and working as a SportsCenter anchor.[4] Prior to being hired by ESPN, she worked as the main sports anchor for WRC-TV in Washington, D.C.[5]

Early life and education

Born in the Bronx, Russini grew up in Norwood, New Jersey and attended Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan,[6] where she was All-State in soccer, basketball, softball, and track. She played soccer for four seasons at George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia.[7][8] She scored seven goals and recorded an assist in 51 appearances for George Mason.[1][9][10]

Career

At the time she joined the network, she was the youngest reporter hired at WNBC in New York City. She switched to covering sports soon after moving to Seattle as a reporter and anchor for Comcast SportsNet Northwest (CSN Northwest),[11] having worked for News 12 Westchester and NBC stations WRC-TV, WNBC, and WVIT.[12] In July 2015, Russini joined ESPN after Disney executives saw a sportscast of hers in Washington, D.C. She served as a SportsCenter anchor and provided sideline reporting with Tom Luginbill for ESPN's XFL Saturday afternoon games.[13][14]

On August 11, 2023, it was reported that Russini would leave ESPN for The Athletic to become its lead NFL insider. At The Athletic, she made appearances on their video platforms and on podcasts.[15]

Alleged affair with Mike Vrabel

On April 7, 2026, Page Six published photographs of Russini and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at a resort in Sedona, Arizona.[16][17] The publication raised widespread speculation online that an extramarital affair was taking place between the two.[18] Russini denied the rumors and claimed the photos were "misleading and lack essential context".[19] She further condemned the "media frenzy" resulting from "self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts".[20]

On April 11, The Athletic announced an investigation into Russini's conduct, and that she would not be reporting while the investigation was conducted.[21] She resigned from The Athletic on April 14.[20] On April 23, the first day of the 2026 NFL draft, Page Six published photographs of Russini and Vrabel kissing at a bar in New York City in March 2020, six months before she married her husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 "Dianna Russini". George Mason Patriots. Archived from the original on February 3, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Rosman, Katherine; Belson, Ken (June 30, 2026) [June 24, 2026]. "Dianna Russini Was an N.F.L. 'Insider.' Was She Also Out of Bounds?". The New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2026.
  3. ↑ Marchand, Andrew (August 11, 2023). "Dianna Russini leaving ESPN to become The Athletic's top NFL insider, she is also the host of the podcast Scoop City". New York Post. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Dianna Russini". ESPN MediaZone. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  5. ↑ Steinberg, Dan (May 18, 2015). "Dianna Russini will leave NBC Washington, join ESPN". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 28, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  6. ↑ Raj, Sunil Sunder. "Women in Sports, Day 7: NJ native, ESPN anchor Dianna Russini". Double G Sports. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019. Originally from the Bronx, Russini's parents' moved the family to Norwood, New Jersey to give Dianna and her siblings a better life and education.... While attending Old Tappan High School, Russini kept a busy schedule playing four sports, girls' soccer, basketball, softball and track.
  7. ↑ Smith, Cam (March 13, 2017). "Girls Sports Month: ESPN anchor Dianna Russini got where she is because of soccer, determination". USA Today High School Sports. USA Today. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  8. ↑ "George Mason 2021 Women's Soccer Information Guide" (PDF). George Mason Patriots. August 13, 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  9. ↑ "2004 George Mason Women's Soccer Game Results". George Mason Patriots. 2004. Archived from the original on March 7, 2006. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  10. ↑ "George Mason vs William & Mary (Oct 01, 2004)". George Mason Patriots. October 1, 2004. Archived from the original on March 8, 2006. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  11. ↑ "ESPN Welcomes Dianna Russini: Your Guide to the New SportsCenter Anchor". The Spun. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  12. ↑ Steinberg, Dan (November 14, 2016). "ESPN nabs another NBC Washington reporter". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 15, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  13. ↑ Stypulkoski, Matt (October 20, 2016). "From Old Tappan to ESPN: How did Dianna Russini end up on SportsCenter?". NJ.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2018.
  14. ↑ Bill, Hofheimer (November 6, 2019). "ABC and ESPN Announce Commentator Teams for XFL 2020 Season". ESPN Press Room (Press release). Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  15. ↑ Neumann, Sam (August 11, 2023). "Dianna Russini departing ESPN to become The Athletic's top NFL insider". Awful Announcing. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  16. ↑ Coleman, Oli (April 7, 2026). "New England Patriots' Mike Vrabel and top NY Times NFL reporter Dianna Russini hold hands and hug at luxury hotel". Page Six. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
  17. ↑ Strauss, Ben (April 11, 2026). "NYT scrutinizing reporter Russini's Vrabel coverage amid photo fallout". ESPN. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
  18. ↑ Sobey, Rick (April 14, 2026). "The ethics of Mike Vrabel with Dianna Russini: 'This does not look good... the appearance of impropriety'". Boston Herald. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
  19. ↑ Keeley, Sean (April 7, 2026). "The Athletic's Dianna Russini refutes insinuations around photos with Mike Vrabel". Awful Announcing. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
  20. 1 2 Maadiap, Rob (April 14, 2026). "NFL reporter Dianna Russini resigns from The Athletic after photos published of her with Mike Vrabel". Associated Press. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
  21. ↑ Robertson, Katie (April 11, 2026). "The Athletic Investigates Conduct of Reporter Photographed With N.F.L. Coach". The New York Times. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  22. ↑ Roca, Teresa (April 23, 2026). "Exclusive: Dianna Russini and married Mike Vrabel caught kissing at NYC bar 6 years before scandal". Page Six. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianna_Russini