thecomeback
Former NFL insider Dianna Russini has been absent from the sports media landscape since resigning from The Athletic in April amid a scandal involving New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. Over the summer, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy expressed openness to hiring her, but now Portnoy has confirmed that Barstool is not where she will land.
Russini's resignation came one week after Page Six published photos of her and Vrabel together at an Arizona resort. Both denied any wrongdoing at the time, but additional photos later emerged showing the two kissing at a New York City bar in 2020. The Athletic conducted a review of her work, and its findings, released in September, stated that her relationship with Vrabel was a clear violation of its standards. Russini has remained publicly silent since her resignation.
In July, Portnoy said he would have no problem hiring Russini at Barstool, calling it a 'no-brainer' if she wanted to work there. 'No-brainer, if she wanted to work here, we'd do it,' Portnoy said, via Us Weekly. 'An affair is not like a murder. It's bad, but I'm not in the family.' He added, 'She'll land somewhere, and you know, if people who have affairs are never allowed to work again in this country, you're gonna lose a significant amount of the workforce. It is obviously really sad, but at the same time, that's not like a capital offense that should end somebody's professional career.'
Barstool's Dan 'Big Cat' Katz had said back in April that he wasn't sure Russini would even want to work at Barstool, given the jokes the company had made about her situation.
Not Headed to Barstool
On Wednesday, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported that Russini has started getting the word out around the NFL that she'll be returning to work next week, according to a source. Florio noted that it's still unclear where she'll be working or what she'll be doing. Considering Portnoy's comments over the summer, many wondered if Barstool might be her landing spot, but Portnoy has shot that idea down. 'A few months ago @stoolpresidente said he would consider hiring Dianna Russini at Barstool. Nevertheless, he tells @fos that Barstool is not her apparent looming destination,' Front Office Sports' Ryan Glasspiegel wrote on X.
That leaves plenty of speculation about where Russini will turn up next week. Whether it's a podcast, a newsletter, or another outlet, she'll have a lot of work to do to rebuild her credibility as a reporter. But it's clear that it won't be with Barstool.
Originally reported by thecomeback.