Former USA TODAY Sports reporter Crissy Froyd has found herself back in the spotlight as fresh details continue to emerge about 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.
Crissy Froyd Reacts to New Details Emerging on Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel Scandal
The New York Times published an article by Katherine Rosman and Ken Belson that includes plenty of new details about the Russini-Vrabel scandal. 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 used her NFL access to get out of a traffic ticket, waited until hours before the deadline to inform The Athletic that Page Six was going to run photos of her with Vrabel, never told her bosses that she had a conflict of interest with Vrabel, that she served as an “unofficial advisor” to Vrabel during his job search, and much more.
According to the Times, she initially responded by text when reporters reached out to her in May. However, she later requested that her text messages would not appear in the story. The reporters stated that she never asked to speak off the record, so Russini reportedly contacted senior employees at both The New York Times and The Athletic through email. The reporters ended up featuring her texts in the article.
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM: PFN’s FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Further details centered on Russini’s role in a previous The Athletic feature on Vrabel.
“As part of its review, The Athletic is looking into “Dianna’s involvement” in a January 2025 article, “Inside Mike Vrabel’s Year Off,” Ms. Ha said. The roughly 4,400-word article was written by another reporter, Zack Rosenblatt, after Ms. Russini helped broker the coach’s cooperation, arranging breakfast for the three of them so Mr. Rosenblatt could make his pitch.” the article revealed. “Members of Mr. Vrabel’s coaching staff were with them at the casino, but were not visible in the photo.”
The Times also reported that Russini had an opportunity to address the Sedona photos but did not immediately raise the issue with executives at The Athletic. Instead, leadership reportedly received notice only a few hours before the New York Post’s publication deadline.
PREDICT THE NFL SEASON: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
The article concluded with another notable revelation. According to the report, The Athletic’s Steven Ginsberg did not see all of the Sedona photos before sending out a statement publicly backing Russini, raising questions about what information was available at the time.
“Ms. Russini did not alert editors to any conflicts of interest, according to the Times Company spokeswoman,” the article shared. “Ms. Russini’s friend said that she resigned because she saw an opportunity to reimagine her career and spend more time with her children.”
REDRAFT THE ENTIRE NFL: PFN’s FREE NFL Ultimate Redraft Simulator
Froyd recently stated that she believes Russini faces a major credibility problem. Speaking during a recent appearance on “Mike Drop With Mike Asti,” Froyd suggested that Russini would need far more than a public response to change opinions.
“I think there are a lot of reasons she’s not saying anything right now. But part of me questions… I think she’d have to supply a lot of evidence,” Froyd said of Russini. “I think after the indignant statement that she made, which has now been proven false entirely, and even what Vrabel said, I think a decent number of people will believe her but I think some people will go, ‘You have no credibility, and you’re a liar. You’re gonna kick and scream and say this about this person, but we’re not gonna believe you.’ I think she will have to show some legitimate evidence or have people corroborate her.”
Meanwhile, the controversy does not appear to have affected Mike Vrabel’s standing in Foxborough. The Patriots have continued to support their head coach, and Patriots Nation has largely done the same.
However, questions continue to surround Russini’s future. While she has not officially announced an exit from NFL media, several developments point in that direction, including the fact that she referred to herself as a “former journalists” in texts with The New York Times reporters.
