Crissy Froyd is far from backing down. The former USA Today writer hasn’t been afraid to share her thoughts on the ongoing Dianna-Russini-Mike Vrabel scandal and is even taking on a broader crusade against the NFL’s “culture of corruption.” Now, she’s the one drawing fire, and she’s responding with lawyers.
After critics tried to dig up information from her past, Froyd issued a public warning that she’s not afraid to sue.
Crissy Froyd Issues A Legal Threat To Her Critics
Froyd was blunt with her warning.
“Just so you know, accusing someone of things you have no verifiable evidence of is a violation of civil law. You may be hearing from their legal team after doing so,” she argued on X. “Consider this a straight warning. Think I’m afraid to pull a trigger?”
The warning comes after critics brought up Froyd’s past relationship with former college football quarterback JT Daniels. However, Froyd never hid this relationship. In fact, she has confirmed the two were involved, and she insists that the relationship began only after Daniels was “retired from football.”
Daniels played for USC, Georgia, West Virginia, and Rice before his playing days ended and he transitioned to a coaching career.
While some people online tried to compare Froyd’s relationship Daniels to Russini’s alleged affair with Vrabel, Froyd has stressed the timeline and maintained that she has never slept with a player or coach for professional gain. Froyd also claims that her relationship with Daniels ended because he was “physically and mentally abusive.”
She drew a hard line between her situation and the one she’s spent months condemning. In fact, she even dared anyone to produce evidence that she has engaged in the behavior she’s calling out. Now, she’s making it clear that she’s willing to sue anyone who spreads misinformation about her.
Russini resigned from The Athletic on April 14 after the New York Post ran photos of her alongside Vrabel at an Arizona resort. Both are married to other people.
Vrabel stepped away from the New England Patriots on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft to attend counseling alongside his family. The Patriots have stood firmly behind their head coach, and the NFL opted not to investigate since they are treating the situation as a personal matter.
After Russini left The Athletic, Froyd quote-tweeted her resignation the following message: “I’m sure you were told to submit this or that you’d get fired instead. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. We know who you really are and what you’ve been up to for years. It does so much detriment to women in sports who have done things the right way.”
Within two days, USA Today decided to cut ties with Froyd, stating that her comment fell short of its standards on professionalism and ethics. In a Daily Mail op-ed published on June 1, Froyd claimed that there’s a “culture of corruption” in the NFL where coaches and staffers trade “sex for stories” with female reporters. She said this is an open secret around the league and that at least six female reporters have confided in her about sleeping with the league personnel. She also wrote that she first heard rumblings of the alleged Vrabel-Russini affair six years ago.
Froyd argued that these female reporters make things harder for those who keep professional boundaries and who “do things the right way.”
“That’s unfair and demoralizing, and that’s why I tweeted about Russini’s resignation from The Athletic, resulting in my termination from USA Today,” she wrote.
Russini has yet to share her side of the story beyond what she wrote in her resignation letter.
