Former NFL insider Dianna Russini and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel’s scandal has refused to go away.
Months after the initial photos were published, new details continue to emerge. On Wednesday, The New York Times published a 5,000-word report on the controversy.
Dianna Russini’s Massive Salary at The Athletic Revealed
After Page Six published the pictures of Russini and Vrabel in early April, the pair denied any wrongdoing. However, a week later, Russini resigned from her job at The Athletic.
According to the bombshell report, Russini was earning a massive salary of nearly $800,000 a year from The Athletic, making her one of the highest-paid journalists at The Athletic or The New York Times.
“The tabloid drama stunned the Times Company. Ms. Russini was not just any reporter. The Athletic paid her an annual salary of close to $800,000, according to a former manager who had knowledge of her salary negotiation. This would have made her one of the highest-paid journalists at the Times Company,” the report reads.
“She had been promoted as a face of the sports publication, which the company bought in 2022 for $550 million as part of an effort to expand the Times’s reach to sports fans around the world. At the time the story broke, The Athletic was in discussions with Ms. Russini about renewing her contract, which was set to expire at the end of June.”
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Russini had solidified herself as one of the top NFL insiders prior to the scandal blowing up her career. Now, it seems her days as a reporter are over. When contacted by The New York Times writers Katherine Rosman and Ken Belson, she referred to herself as a “former journalist.” A friend of Russini’s also noted that she views this as “an opportunity to reimagine her career” and spend more time with her children.
While Russini asked for her quotes to be left out of the story, the reporters included her text messages anyway since “no agreement had been made for them to engage in an off-the-record correspondence.”
Russini told the reporter that the “intense scrutiny and personal attacks” had taken a major toll on her. “This has had a significant impact on my life, both professionally and personally,” she wrote.
While the scandal forced Russini to resign and likely change careers, the controversy has not appeared to damage Vrabel’s standing with the Patriots or their massive fanbase. Just weeks after the scandal emerged, the former Coach of the Year received a standing ovation during an event for Patriots’ season-ticket holders, and the team has supported him throughout the ordeal.
It remains to be seen what the next chapter of Russini’s career will look like and whether she’ll be able to earn close to the $800,000 she was bringing home from The Athletic.
