Former NFL insider Dianna Russini is expected to return to sports media as soon as next week, nearly seven months after she resigned from The Athletic.
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reported this week that Russini has been informing people around the league of her plans to resume work. Front Office Sports followed Friday with more specifics on the shape of that return.
According to Front Office Sports, Russini is expected to launch new content backed by gambling operators. Sources said she has held talks with Jake Paul’s Betr platform and with BetUS, an offshore sportsbook based in Costa Rica. One source also said she has spoken with iHeart.
Front Office Sports identified an X account created in October under the name “The Russini Report.” The account describes a weekly live show on Wednesdays covering pro football news, injuries and analysis. It previously stated the program would be “powered by BetUS,” but that language has since been removed. At the time of the report the account had only three followers, including a BetUS spokesperson and a separate BetUS-sponsored show.
Russini stopped responding to Front Office Sports once the outlet asked about the three companies. Her publicist, Melissa Nathan, declined to comment. Spokespeople for BetUS, Betr and iHeart also did not respond to requests for comment.
Page Six reported Wednesday that Russini will headline her own show on a digital platform. A source told the outlet the project has been in development for some time and that she is eager to resume the work she enjoys. Another source said she plans to interview players and coaches.
Several other possibilities have already been eliminated. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who had previously indicated he would consider hiring her, told Front Office Sports this week that she will not be joining the company. Sources also told Front Office Sports that Kalshi, Underdog and FanDuel are not in the running to sponsor her content.
The 43-year-old left ESPN in 2023 after eight years to become The Athletic’s lead NFL insider. Her tenure there ended in mid-April after Page Six published photographs of her and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at an adults-only resort in Arizona, where the two were seen holding hands and hugging.
Russini resigned roughly a week after the images appeared while The Athletic was still examining her conduct. In September the company released the results of its review of her journalism. Editorial director for standards and quality Mike Semel examined 903 stories, 77 videos and 204 podcast episodes.
The review found no clear evidence that Russini used her platform to promote Vrabel or his teams, though editor’s notes were later added to a small number of pieces.
The Athletic concluded that Russini’s relationship with Vrabel 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,” the report stated. Only about 5 percent of the reviewed stories mentioned Vrabel or his teams.
Vrabel later said he had “difficult conversations” with his family and missed the third day of the NFL draft to attend counseling. Florio has previously raised questions about whether Russini can fully restore audience trust in a role that depends on readers accepting her reporting as fact.
A source told Front Office Sports that one significant scoop could help reestablish her presence as the playoffs approach.
