Dianna Russini was the subject of a bombshell report by her former employer, The New York Times, on Wednesday.
The article detailed Russini’s alleged affair with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, which led to her resignation from The Athletic in April.
Tony Farmer Questions Steven Ginsberg’s Stance in Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel Scandal
Shortly after Page Six first published the pictures of Russini and Vrabel looking cozy at an adults-only resort in Arizona in April, The Athletic’s executive editor Steven Ginsberg came out in support of the outlet’s NFL insider.
Now, The New York Times’ report alleged that Ginsberg did not have all the photos before putting out his statement in support of Russini. The report also states that Russini waited until hours before Page Six’s deadline to loop in Ginsberg and her bosses.
NFL podcaster Tony Farmer questioned why Ginsberg came out in support of Russini despite reportedly not seeing all of the photos of the reporter with Vrabel, calling this “the detail of the NYT article that everyone is overlooking.”
“If Ginsberg didn’t have all the photos, why didn’t he say that previously?” Farmer said in a video on X. “That’s a great defense. People are questioning why you defended Dianna Russini. Why did you immediately jump to her defense, Mr. Ginsberg, without investigating? He got a lot of heat for that. Some people would say the entire reason this investigation is happening is because of those comments.”
This is the detail of the NYT article that everyone is overlooking … Steven Ginsberg [supposedly] didn’t receive all of the Sedona photos before making is infamous statement of support for Russini.
I can think of 3 reasons why that would be reported today … pic.twitter.com/zR3g8BtvQD
— Tony Farmer (@Tonysmarkettips) June 24, 2026
“Maybe he didn’t wanna throw anybody under the bus,” Farmer added. “Maybe he didn’t want to throw Dianna under the bus. Maybe it’s not true. Maybe he had all the photos, and this is a CYA (cover your [expletive]) operation by the Times to make it seem like he didn’t have all the photos.
“It’s possible Dianna did nothing wrong here and did provide everything that she had, and the outlet didn’t provide them,” he continued. “It’s also possible that Dianna acted as a filter and held back some of the more incriminating photos. And it’s also possible that The New York Times is lying right now and Dianna did provide all the photos, and they’re saying they didn’t receive all the photos so that they can make themselves look better.”
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After Ginsberg’s initial support for Russini, The Athletic launched an investigation once new details surfaced, and the reporter resigned. Additional photos of her allegedly kissing Vrabel at a New York bar in 2020 leaked, followed by a video showing Vrabel and Russini renting a boat together in 2021 when she was pregnant with her first child.
Emmanuel Acho Blasts Russini for Lying About Vrabel
During Wednesday’s segment of the “Speakeasy” podcast, former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho blasted Russini for initially lying about her relationship with Vrabel after the first pictures of the couple leaked.
“Dianna Russini resigns, saying like, ‘This is all a lie. This is all fabrication. Mike and I are just friends. We were there with six individuals. All of this is a lie.’ and The Athletic was like, ‘Well, Dianna, where were the six individuals? Prove them. We can’t find them. Our investigation doesn’t turn up any six friends.’
“Now, there are more pictures about you and Mike Vrabel. There’s a playlist of you and Mike Vrabel. There’s a picture of you seven months pregnant on a boat with Vrabel. You named your son Mike. There’s too much evidence and empirical data going against you… She tried to play in everybody’s face. I feel bad because an $800,000 job is still an $800,000 job.”
Over two months since the Russini-Vrabel scandal erupted, the fallout has continued and shows no signs of stopping. The next development will likely come when the The Athletic announces the findings of its internal investigation, which NFL insider Mike Florio predicts will be released very soon.
