NFL star Aaron Rodgers did not mince words when he slammed ESPN over its lack of coverage of former journalist Dianna Russini's alleged affair with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
"I also said you're a gutless organization because they haven't said anything," Rodgers, 42, said during his Thursday, September 10, appearance on the Not Just Football with Cam Heyward show. "They spend so much time on certain issues but you won't talk one second on the Dianna Russini situation."
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback went on to explain that ESPN reported on San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York's prostitution scandal on the front page of its website, but failed to acknowledge the scandal involving Russini, 43, and Vrabel, 51.
"They will rotate the eight stories or whatever they have but they usually have like the one story that's featured," Rodgers continued. "That was the featured story. So you bring in how many millions of eyes to that situation. Why do you want to throw Jed York under the bus? I don't know. But does that have the same effect as a reporter who's, you know, has intimate relations with a coach, who has a vote for MVP, has a vote for coach of the year. I don't know if she's on the Hall of Fame [voting committee] or not but there's voting stuff."
JPA/AFF-USA.com / MEGA; Eric Canha/Cal Sport Media/Newscom/The Mega Agency

#know #espn

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has never been shy about speaking his mind, and as he enters what he is adamant will be his final season in the NFL, Rodgers is making it clear that he's letting whatever comes to mind fly.
In a two-part interview on teammate Cam Heyward's Not Just Football with Cam Heywardpodcast, Rodgers did not mince words about his feelings toward ESPN, doubling down on his criticism of the network during the Steelers' training camp.
"ESPN is really scared," Rodgers ***** erted. "Because I can speak up and speak my mind. And that McAfee thing rattled their feathers because I didn't just say that on McAfee's show—honestly, I love Pat, and he's done more for that network than any other horrible show they have on there—they should pay those guys doing it.
"But I also said, 'you're a gutless organization,' because they haven't said anything. They spend so much time on certain issues, but you won't talk one second about the Danny Russini situation?"
Rodgers also made it clear how he feels about former President Barack Obama and the lack of impact he had on the Black community, as well as where current President Donald Trump's loyalties actually lie.

#espn #network

You never know what Aaron Rodgers is going to say when he's behind a mic, and a new Not Just Football podcast with Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Cam Heyward served as a fresh reminder.
Most recently, Rodgers broke his silence on his public breakup with ex-girlfriend Danica Patrick
Rodgers and the former NASCAR star broke up in 2020 after dating for nearly two years. Following their breakup, Patrick accused him of being "emotionally abusive" during their relationship. Rodgers is now sharing his side of the story.
The 42-year-old NFL signal-caller took shots at Patrick for being "depressed" during their relationship, and ultimately cited a lack of intimacy and her "not fun to be around" as reasons for calling it quits.
MORE: Steelers' Aaron Rodgers rips 'gutless' ESPN over Dianna Russini coverage

#steelers #relationship #Football #heyward

Dianna Russini stayed quiet for months while an internal review dug through nearly three years of her work. That silence ended Thursday, the same day the results came out.
The Athletic released its inquiry into former NFL insider Dianna Russini's undisclosed relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel on Sept. 3. The review concluded Russini was "noncompliant" with the publication's standards. Mike Semel, The Athletic's editorial director for standards and editorial quality, spent nearly five months examining more than 900 stories and 77 videos tied to Russini.
MORE: Printable one-page fantasy football rankings cheat sheets for PPR, half-PPR, standard, superflex leagues
Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) is interviewed by Dianna Russini after the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Russini declined to sit for an interview with Semel during the review. She broke her silence Thursday through a statement given to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.

#mike #semel #months

Diana Russini is reportedly getting ready to come back to the world of sports media and the NFL. As per the rumours, Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports are leading the race to acquire her services.
NFL insider Diana Russini was involved in quite a big scandal after questions were raised about her relationship with former Tennessee ***** ans and current New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
Russini was working as a senior NFL reporter for The Athletic when the story broke. She was let go in the aftermath, and an internal investigation found there had been a 'clear violation' of company standards.
However, a romantic relationship was not confirmed by the investigation either. And now it seems Russini is planning a comeback, with a popular media figure among the frontrunners to help her make it happen.
Photo by Thomas Campbell/XFL via Getty Images

#diana #Media

Sept. 3 (UPI) -- An investigation by The Athletic determined that former reporter Dianna Russini violated newsroom standards through her relationship with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, the outlet said Thursday.
The Athletic published the findings of the nearly five-month investigation under the headline: "Standards review of Dianna Russini's coverage for The Athletic."
Russini resigned from The New York Times Co.-owned outlet and was released from her contract April 14. The former senior insider for the NFL had taken the job role in August 2023.
The investigation, conducted by The Athletic's editorial director for standards and editorial quality Mike Semel, included a review of 903 stories and 77 videos published on the outlet's website.
It also included an examination of 204 episodes of the Scoop City podcast, which Russini co-hosted, and additional off-platform appearances she made while representing The Athletic.

#investigation

The Athletic has determined that former NFL reporter Dianna Russini violated newsroom standards with her relationship with Mike Vrabel, the head coach of the New England Patriots.
On Thursday, The New York Times-owned Athletic released the findings of the newspaper's internal investigation into 51-year-old Vrabel and 43-year-old Russini's relationship.
Conducted by Mike Semel, an editorial director for standards and quality at The Athletic, the report comes after Russini resigned from her role in April following outrage over pictures that emerged of her and Vrabel — who are both married to other people — hugging and holding hands.
Although the review concluded that Russini violated her workplace's conflict-of-interest rules by not disclosing her relationship with the coach, Semel did not find any inaccuracies in her reporting about Vrabel or his teams. He reviewed 903 articles, 204 podcast episodes, and 77 videos, and conducted 14 interviews with staffers at the paper before coming to a conclusion.
"Russini's relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic's standards," the report said. "Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed."

#relationship #russini #semel

The Athletic's internal investigation found that the relationship between former NFL reporter Dianna Russini and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was in "clear violation" of the newsroom's standards.
The outlet, which is owned by the New York Times, released a report Thursday detailing the findings of a five-months-long investigation. Mike Semel, the Athletic's editorial director for standards and quality, wrote that he was unable to find signs of clear bias or determine the exact "nature of their relationship", but said it gave the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Related: NFL reporter Russini resigns amid 'self-feeding speculation' over photos with Patriots' Vrabel
"Russini's relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic's standards," Semel wrote. "Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed."
"I've not found a clear link to conclude that Russini used her platform to help promote Vrabel or help his teams during her time at The Athletic. That said, there are examples of Russini writing glowingly of Vrabel that in hindsight are awkward or even uncomfortable," he added.

#found

Hall of Fame defensive back and Colorado coach Deion Sanders has had plenty of recent distractions arising from court dockets.
This week, a Nebraska lawsuit regarding his "Prime" logo came to light — nearly 19 months after it was filed.
The first word of it surfaced on Tony Farmer's Twitter page. He posted the original complaint. Unless it was all one ***** of a coincidence, others started reporting on the case — without crediting Farmer for finding it.
One of those outlets is The Athletic, which possibly has taken an "eff that guy" approach to Farmer given his relentless focus on the Dianna Russini situation. A new article posted by Matt Moret explains that Deion was questioned under oath in late July in the claim filed by Alan Tipp, who contends that he designed the "Prime" logo in 2011 and was never fully and fairly compensated for it. Tipp also alleges that Sanders and other defendants fraudulently induced Tipp to relinquish any rights to his work with false promises.
In a court declaration filed on Friday, Sanders claims he used the logos before he was working with Tipp.

#tipp #filed #deion #hall

The NFL insider musical chairs continues, as James Palmer is headed to Amazon Prime Video.
According to The Athletic's Andrew Marchand, Palmer will replace Ian Rapoport as the NFL insider for Thursday Night Football, providing reporting for the pregame and postgame shows. It is the latest domino to fall following the merger of ESPN and NFL Network and the resignation of Dianna Russini from The Athletic.
A longtime NFL media veteran, Palmer has bounced around to several unique opportunities in recent years. Palmer now co-hosts a podcast with former NFL Network colleague Steve Smith Jr. and is Bleacher Report's NFL insider. Recently, Palmer also co-hosted Scoop City with Russini and served as the lead NFL reporter for Underdog before its pivot to prediction markets.
Also per Marchand, Prime Video pursued Tom Pelissero before hiring Palmer. On Monday, Netflix announced Pelissero would be the insider for its NFL slate this season while also podcasting at The Ringer, whose shows are licensed by the streamer.
Rapoport contributed to TNF last season, but his exclusive contract with ESPN and NFL Network forced the move. Previously, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated occupied the role in 2024, and a former ESPNer did so in 2022 and 2023.

#palmer

The Pittsburgh Steelers have some distractions heading into the 2026 NFL season after a recent Aaron Rodgers interview continues to receive backlash.
Fox Sports 1 host Nick Wright is just one of several members of the sports media community outraged. Wright is always quick to deliver a quality hot take on his shows "First Things First" and "What's Wright with Nick Wright."
MORE: Rating every NFL game on the Monday Night Football schedule in 2026
However, he might be in the right on this occasion after Rodgers' controversial interview with Pat McAfee went viral for all the wrong reasons. The veteran NFL quarterback made several comments targeting ESPN's handling of the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel controversy and took a shot at Dr. Anthony Fauci.
"I'm gonna plead the 5th," Rodgers joked in front of the Steelers crowd. "Like that absolute coward Tony Fauci. Absolute coward. Are you kidding me? What are you scared of Tony? I thought you were science?"

#interview

The Pittsburgh Steelers aren't going to be a popular Super Bowl pick by many. And according to a recent report, the network that will air Super Bowl LXI hopes Pittsburgh is not playing in the game.
According to a report from The Daily Mail, many within ESPN are hoping the Steelers don't make the Super Bowl due to Aaron Rodgers' bad relationship with the network.
This stems from the four-time MVP's recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show where he called out the network for not discussing the scandal involving Dianna Russini and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. Rodgers also called out Dr. Anthony Fauci in a rant pertaining to the COVID vaccine. Rodgers doesn't keep his distain for ESPN a secret, saying that he gave the network a list of specific people he would speak to for an interview.
Rodgers infamously had beef with ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, telling Schefter to "lose my number" amid trade rumors back in 2023.
While a Super Bowl berth would send the city of Pittsburgh into pure euphoria, step one is winning a playoff game, something Pittsburgh hasn't done since the 2016 season – a trend Rodgers and new head coach Mike McCarthy hope to change.

#pittsburgh #super

The Pittsburgh Steelers have already issued a statement on the now-viral Aaron Rodgers-Fauci situation, but Mike McCarthy has since broken his silence on the veteran quarterback's comments.
One day after the Steelers responded to Rodgers mocking Fauci by pleading the Fifth and calling him an "absolute coward," McCarthy made it crystal clear that his job is to keep everything about football, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
"You know, these are grown men," McCarthy said on Tuesday. "They all have different opinions. There's no question about that. But at the end of the day, my job is to keep it about football, keep the focus on winning. That's why we're here. We have a good locker room. We have a player council that's in place, and we had our second meeting Monday, so I think we're in a good spot."
On Monday's training camp edition of The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers completely ripped into Fauci, as well as ESPN for failing to extensively cover the alleged Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel controversy.
The Steelers already addressed the situation, stating that their players are entitled to having their own differing personal views. And now, McCarthy all but did the same.

#mike #entitled

With The Pat McAfee Show broadcasting live from Steelers training camp on Monday, it was no surprise that Aaron Rodgers was set to make an appearance. How that appearance went was either surprising, or exactly what you might have expected, depending on how much attention you've been paying to appearances on the show over the years.
The biggest headlines Rodgers made stemmed from his jokes about "pleading the fifth," referencing the recent Senate hearing at which former NIAID director Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment. He went on to call Fauci an "absolute coward." Rodgers has made his feelings on the COVID-19 pandemic exceedingly clear, so those comments, while fiery, didn't come as all that big of a surprise.
What was a bit more shocking was the shot that Rodgers took at ESPN, the network he was appearing on. Rodgers first expressed frustration with ESPN for spending time covering his own vaccination status while not covering the recent hearings. He later pivoted to calling out the network for what he believed was a lack of coverage of the scandalous relationship between NFL insider Dianna Russini and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel that came out over the summer.
"What was this network doing?" Rodgers asked. "You had literally an individual that maybe used to work at ESPN, that covers our league at the highest level, and there's a major scandal, and it's just like ****** ody can f*cking talk about it? What are we even doing here?"
"Personal lives are personal lives," joked a member of McAfee's crew. "I feel like you of all people should know that."

#rodgers #espn #surprise

On Monday, Aaron Rodgers had some strong things to say about ESPN. While appearing on ESPN.
Per an ESPN spokesperson, ESPN has no comment regarding Rodgers's comments.
Rodgers's rant initially focused on Dr. Anthony Fauci, as Rodgers did a COVID victory lap — one that glossed over the fact that Rodgers was disingenuous at best when he misled reporters in August 2021 on the question of whether he had received a vaccine. Rodgers then pivoted to ESPN, for not covering Fauci's repeated invocation of the Fifth Amendment at a Senate hearing last Thursday. (Should it have been the lead item on SportsCenter?)
"How much time did the network spend on that?" Rodgers said. "How much time do they spend on my responses every week? On my vaccination status, on Taylor [Swift] and Travis [Kelce's] wedding? Did they do even a minute? Did they do even a minute on Tony Fauci? No, I bet they didn't."
Rodgers also chastised ESPN for not covering the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini situation.

#rodgers #time #even

"The Pat McAfee Show" aired live from Pittsburgh Steelers training camp on Monday with regular guest Aaron Rodgers joining the host for an interview. The Steelers quarterback is entering what he has said will be his final season before he retires from the NFL. With that in mind, McAfee began the interview by asking Rodgers, "Is everything better? Is everything funner? is everything more awesome?"
Rodgers responded to that question by saying, "I'm pleading the fifth." As McAfee laughed, Rodgers then launched into a personal attack on Anthony Faucci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who was the subject of a contentious congressional hearing last week.
MORE: Aaron Rodgers says he battled flu-like illness before Steelers' wild-card loss to Texans
"Like that absolute coward Tony Faucci," said Rodgers. "Absolute coward. Are you kidding me? You got a pardon and your in front of the and you pleaded over 100 times? At the White House? What are you scared of Tony? I thought you were the science. I thought you… I am science? And how much did the network spend on that? How much time did they spend on my responses every week? On my vaccination status? On Taylor and Travis's wedding? Did they do even a minute? Did they do even a minute on Tony Faucci? No, I bet they didn't."
Rodgers also questioned McAfee about ESPN's coverage of the Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel story. McAfee's responses varied from laughter to "my network?" All-in-all, a great couple minutes of content to appear on ESPN if you're writing about sports media.

#everything

Aaron Rodgers rips Dr. Anthony Fauci, calls out ESPN for Dianna Russini scandal coverage in epic rant originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Aaron Rodgers no longer appears regularly on "The Pat McAfee Show," but he still returns occasionally to share his opinions.
That was the case on Monday, when McAfee broadcast his show live from Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. The veteran quarterback discussed the upcoming Steelers season, but first aired a few of his personal gripes.
Rodgers went on a tangent targeting TV networks and Dr. Anthony Fauci in the aftermath of Fauci's government hearing. He then briefly brought up the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini scandal and said he believes TV networks didn't cover it with as much attention.
Overall, it was simply Rodgers venting after spending much of the last half-decade at the center of the sports world. Here's what he had to say.

#rodgers #dianna #russini #sporting

Adam Schefter has spent nearly 17 years at ESPN. He'll be there even longer.
Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reports that ESPN and Schefter are closing in on a "long-term extension."
Terms weren't included. Schefter is reportedly making $9 million annually. (And to think some folks lost their minds at Dianna Russini making $800,000 per year.)
The new deal, per Glasspiegel, will run "several years into the '30s." Schefter, who is less than six months away from his 60s, had bristled at reports from earlier this year that ESPN was eyeing Ian Rapoport as a replacement for the 59-year-old Schefter.
"I know a lot has been made about my age this week and how I'm retiring, which by the way, no **** chance about that if you don't mind my language," Schefter said in his podcast in April, via Glasspiegel.

The Minnesota Vikings can’t catch a break this offseason — and Darren Campbell and Dave Stefano of Two Old Bloggers [2OB] on Vikings 1st & SKOL are here to make sense of the chaos. In this episode, your two favorite old bloggers unpack the Dianna Russini police body cam scandal involving head coach Kevin O’Connell, debate whether it signals a locker room trust crisis, and ask the question every Vikings fan is thinking: does any of this actually matter when the 2026 season kicks off?
Beyond the drama, Darren and Dave get into the real football questions that will define the Vikings’ 2026 season. Can Blake Brandel — a career backup who had never started at center before last year — anchor the offensive line? Will Dallas Turner finally emerge as the edge rusher the Vikings desperately need after trading Jonathan Greenard? And with Ryan Fitzpatrick openly questioning Kyler Murray’s leadership on the Rich Eisen Show, is the Vikings’ new quarterback already carrying baggage before he’s taken a single snap in purple? As Dave puts it: “It’s bad juju.”
With training camp less than four weeks away, Darren and Dave also put the spotlight on Caleb Banks’ mysterious foot injury rehab, the safety position void left by Harrison Smith’s departure, and Tai Felton’s development as a future wide receiver option. The boys wrap with a look at leaked details about the Vikings’ new darker purple uniforms — and as always, the conversation is honest, unfiltered, and unmistakably Viking-obsessed.
Russini Scandal: Reporter showed a KOC text to a cop to dodge a ticket — a major journalism ethics breach that could erode player trust in the head coach
Blake Brandel at Center: A career backup starting at center for the first time ever; PFF grade of 61.4 last year, but showed improvement over the season

After an NFL offseason was hijacked by the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini and its ties to Vrabel's time as head coach of the Tennessee ****** ans, every public appearance is now under a microscope.
The Mike Vrabel and Diana Russini saga added another chapter Friday night, and ****** ody had the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding on the scandal's bingo card.
The New England Patriots head coach and his wife Jenn Vrabel were headed to attend the massive wedding ceremony at Madison Square Garden, and a 15-second Page Six video clip of the couple getting into a black SUV sent the internet into a frenzy.
After an NFL offseason was hijacked by the Vrabel-Russini affair and its ties to Vrabel's time as head coach of the Tennessee ****** ans, every public appearance is now under a microscope.
The video shows Vrabel walking a few steps ahead of his wife, climbing into the SUV without opening the door for her, and heading straight in.

Mike Vrabel and his wife Jen were spotted in formal wear heading to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding in New York City
The couple, who have been married since 1999, were spotted together for the first time since the Patriots coach's scandal with Dianna Russini broke in April
A few hours earlier, Jen was all smiles while Mike carried shopping bags, including one from Nordstrom, into a N.Y.C. hotel
Mike Vrabel and his wife Jen are heading off to celebrate a new marriage — Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's.
The New England Patriots head coach, 50, and his wife, 52, were seen arriving at the Langham Hotel in New York City on Friday, July 3 in photos published by Page Six, marking the couple's first public appearance since Mike's photo scandal with reporter Dianna Russini.

Dianna Russini has been out of a job since April, but Dave Portnoy would fix that today.
The Barstool Sports founder told Us Weekly he'd bring the former Athletic NFL insider on board without a second thought, a stance that puts him well out ahead of his own network. Back in April, days after Russini's resignation, Barstool's Dan "Big Cat" Katz told Front Office Sports he wasn't even sure she'd want to work at Barstool, given some of the jokes the site had made about her situation, though he figured she'd land somewhere doing independent media.
"No-brainer, if she wanted to work here, we'd do it," Portnoy said.
Russini resigned from The Athletic on April 14, a week after Page Six published photos of her and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at an Arizona resort. Both denied wrongdoing at the time, with Russini saying the photos didn't represent "the group of six people who were hanging out during the day" and Vrabel calling any suggestion of impropriety "laughable." The Athletic's Steven Ginsberg said leadership had initially accepted Russini's detailed explanation before new questions emerged, widening the internal investigation. Russini resigned before that review concluded, though Ginsberg told staff the standards review of her published work would continue regardless.
Portnoy didn't treat any of that as disqualifying.

The Terrion Arnold news could have the Cowboys and Lions talking about a trade. What's going to happen to the former first-round pick regarding his felony kidnapping and robbery charges remains to be seen, but his release has left Detroit with a hole in their secondary... and Dallas suddenly finds themselves in a position to do a deal. To top today's Cowboys headlines, we explore why Caelen Carson might bring the best return in a swap with the Lions.
Elsewhere in Cowboys Nation, we get to know Curtis Robinson, the newly-added veteran linebacker who may be flying under fans' radars, and we learn that a new poll has the Cowboys coming in second when it comes to identifying who is truly "America's Team."
Looking at the Cowboys' upcoming opponents, it's worth noting that Micah Parsons not only played in but won a star-studded pickleball tournament recently. While Parsons is expected to miss the first four games of the season for the Packers, he's certainly making moves toward getting back on the field. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk may have blown his chances with the Commanders, and the Rams are looking very much like the team to beat in 2026.
Elsewhere in the league, the NFL's kickoff weekend may suddenly have a scheduling conflict. Republicans have just announced a midterm convention- to be held in Dallas- that will clash with the first two games of the NFL's primetime schedule: the Sept. 9 Patriots-Seahawks kickoff, and the Sept. 10 Rams-49ers tilt being played in Melbourne, Australia. No word yet on whether either side will budge. We're learning more about Dianna Russini's wild story where she supposedly FaceTimed an NFL coach during a traffic stop. Bodycam video shows a different reality... and actually pulls the Minnesota Vikings and quarterback J.J. McCarthy into the drama, too.
Cowboys and Lions could link up for trade after Terrion Arnold release :: SI.com (Link)

Newly released police body-cam footage reveals former NFL reporter Dianna Russini was caught on camera trying to name-drop her way out of a traffic ticket - and appearing to contradict a previous tale she shared about the incident.
Russini, who is married, resigned from her job at The Athletic in April after tabloid photos showed her hugging and holding hands with married New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, drawing scrutiny over her relationships with top NFL officials.
After the scandal broke, an anecdote she shared on a podcast about getting out of a traffic ticket resurfaced - where she had claimed she evaded punishment by allowing the police officer to FaceTime with the coach of his favorite NFL team.
However, body camera footage obtained by news website The Center Square Monday paints a different picture of the traffic stop in Ridgewood, New Jersey, this past January. In the footage, the journalist is seen behind the wheel after being pulled over for using her phone while driving. The footage shows Russini explaining that she was texting because of a breaking news story.
"I'm an NFL reporter, and I just broke that Sean McDermott got fired from the Bills. And that what I was just sending to send, a tweet. I was gonna pull over, because I have to make calls. I know you don't care, but I'm just letting you know my reason why. It was a working thing, it was an emergency for what I do," Russini is heard telling the officer on the body-cam footage.

Dianna Russini's own story about name-dropping NFL coaches and coaxing police officers with access is now available for everybody to see.
The officer body camera footage obtained by The Center Square from the Ridgewood (New Jersey) Police Department of a traffic stop that began at 9:40 a.m. on Jan. 19, 2026 captured Russini in the aftermath of the news Sean McDermott had been fired by the Buffalo Bills.
"So, you're not going to care – I'm an NFL reporter," Russini said after asking if she was being pulled over because she was using her phone while driving. "And I just broke that Sean McDermott got fired from the Bills. And that is what I was just sending, a tweet. I was gonna pull over because I have to make calls. I know you don't care, but I just wanted you to know my reason why. It was a work thing."
The officer noted "the former journalist" was on her phone "for a while."
"I understand you have a job," the officer said.

New bodycam footage from a traffic stop not only shows former NFL reporter Dianna Russini using Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell to get out of a traffic ticket, we also hear her take a shot at quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
The newly released video comes from a police bodycam during a traffic stop that took place back in in January, nearly three months before Russini was caught up in a scandal with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, which led to her resignation from The Athletic.
In the clip, Russini, who was pulled over for being on her phone, asks the cop what his favorite team is, to which he responds the Vikings.
"I'm a Vikings fan, unfortunately," the police officer said.
MORE: Mike Vrabel, media tiptoe around Dianna Russini drama at OTAs presser

Tony Farmer has been one of the loudest voices in the Dianna Russini, Mike Vrabel Controversy.
On 27th June, 2026, the podcaster revisited Adam Schefter’s 2022 interview and shared his latest observation.
Farmer wrote about Schefter’s interview, in which he talked to John Kincade about the NFL not investigating Vrabel for tampering in the A.J. Brown situation that took place in April 2022.
Schefter seemed spellbound by the question and said he doesn’t have an answer to that.
Reacting to the interview, Farmer wrote on X:

The details surrounding former The AthleticNFL reporter Dianna Russini continue to grow more bizarre. According to a New York Times report, Russini may have abused the influence of her position in several unethical ways. One of the most striking allegations involves using her NFL connections to get out of traffic tickets.
According to the New York Times, Russini routinely offered to FaceTime an officer's favorite NFL head coach during traffic stops in an effort to avoid receiving a ticket.
MORE: Dianna Russini was making way more money than you ever thought
"Do you want to talk to the coach? You should talk to the coach," Russini said to officers, according to the report.
Nov 10, 2019; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; ESPN radio sideline reporter Dianna Russini during the NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Rams at Heinz Field. The Steelers defeated the Rams 17-12. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former USA TODAY Sports reporter Crissy Froyd has found herself back in the spotlight as fresh details continue to emerge from the controversy involving Dianna Russini and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
Froyd lost her position at USA TODAY Sports in April after publicly discussing the situation, and the latest developments have once again prompted her to comment.
The New York Times published an article by Katherine Rosman and Ken Belson that includes new details and adds another layer to the story. After the report surfaced, Froyd delivered a one-word reaction on social media.
“Wow…” Froyd wrote on X.
The New York Times article stated that Russini received an outline of the investigation before publication and chose not to provide a comment. The report also outlined earlier communication between Russini and the newspaper.

Dianna Russini had said nothing since abruptly resigning from The Athletic in April, one week after photos first surfaced of Russini and Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at a resort in Sedona, Arizona.
Portions of a text message she sent to a New York Times reporter in May appear in the new article about the controversy — even though she apparently tried to categorize the remarks as "off the record."
From the Times story, the reporter contacted Russini in early May to request an interview for the story. Russini, per the report, cited the “intense scrutiny and personal attacks” she had endured. She said, “This has had a significant impact on my life, both professionally and personally.”
She also referred to herself as a "former journalist" before asking the reporter not to quote from the text message.
From the Times story: "When the reporter told her that this article would include portions of her text message because no agreement had been made for them to engage in an off-the-record correspondence, Ms. Russini objected and then emailed Mr. Perpich, the publisher of The Athletic, as well as two senior editors at The Times to reiterate her wish that her comments not be included."