Dianna Russini made nearly $800,000 a year as an NFL reporter for The Athletic and engaged in “unacceptable conduct” during a traffic stop before the Mike Vrabel scandal, parent company The New York Times reported in an exposé Wednesday.
Her salary, which a former manager revealed to the Times, made her one of the “highest-paid journalists at the Times Company,” the Times wrote. Her contract was up for renewal in June. (She quit in April, saying she refused to lend speculation about her and Vrabel “further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”)
The Vrabel Scandal and Media Frenzy
Russini and Patriots coach Vrabel sparked a media frenzy in April when photos emerged of them looking somewhat intimate at a resort in Sedona, Arizona. That was followed by leaked photos of them apparently kissing at a bar in New York City in 2020 and hanging out at a Mississippi casino in 2024. There was also a report about the photo-wary couple renting a boat together in 2021 while Russini was apparently pregnant with her first child.
Neither party, both married with children, has copped to any romance. Vrabel, who noted “difficult conversations” with his family, said he was seeking therapy and missed a day of the NFL Draft.
Traffic Stop Incident and 'Unacceptable Conduct'
But even before their supposed relationship exploded into headlines, Russini caught the attention of Times and Athletic officials by recounting how she got out of a traffic ticket by calling the cop’s favorite NFL coach.
She bragged on a podcast how she was pulled over while texting and driving with her two sons ― her second traffic stop in a month, according to the newspaper. The cop shrugged off her claim that she was trying to break a story about the Buffalo Bills. She then FaceTimed the officer’s favorite coach (not Vrabel, apparently) and let them chat, the Times reported. ”You should let her go, she’s a good citizen” was what the unnamed coach told the cop, she said.
It worked.
“She might have considered calling a coach to get out of a ticket not only appropriate, but a funny story to tell on a podcast. For The Athletic, under the ownership of The Times, it was out of bounds,” The Times wrote.
“Unacceptable conduct,” Times Co. spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said.
What made it even more appalling was that she had not asked for permission to appear on the podcast, per company guidelines, the spokeswoman added.
