The Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini controversy has dominated headlines and become a tabloid circus. After the New England Patriots head coach was photographed with the NFL reporter at a luxurious resort in Arizona, other photos and videos surfaced showing the pair together dating as far back as 2020.
NFL writer Crissy Froyd hasn’t been afraid to speak her mind about the scandal, as she was fired from USA TODAY Sports for commenting on Russini. Now, she is calling out Russini’s behavior once again.
NFL Writer Rips Dianna Russini Amid Mike Vrabel Cheating Scandal
On the latest episode of “The Howard Eskin Show,” Froyd spoke about her experience working in the industry, claiming that there are a lot more stories out there like the Vrabel-Russini scandal. She previously wrote an article for The Daily Mail alleging that the NFL has a “culture of corruption” where female reporters often trade “sex for stories.”
Froyd also ripped Russini for how she handled the whole situation, referencing some of the old tweets that resurfaced after the photos with Vrabel came to light.
“I mean, the biggest thing to me was the way that everyone knew and no one did anything about it, and it was obvious,” Froyd said.
“And then to me, the worst part of it was… the way that she deleted her Twitter account and it appeared, at least the way I took it and the way that most people took it, that she had been like covertly bragging on that. I mean, it’s disgusting.
“She’s, from what I can see, going around gloating, putting it right under everyone’s nose, and that is absolutely sickening to me. I don’t think sickening is even the word; it’s more like disturbing.”
Froyd also shared her thoughts on Russini’s various resurfaced clips of her criticizing her husband, saying that makes things look a million times worse given the allegations she is now facing.
The Vrabel-Russini controversy began when the pair were photographed together at the Ambiente hotel in Sedona, Arizona. Page Six published the photos on April 7. The next day, both parties denied wrongdoing. Vrabel called suggestions of misconduct “laughable,” while Russini and The Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg argued the images lacked context and omitted the presence of a larger group of friends.
However, soon after, Russini resigned from The Athletic amid an internal review. She has maintained that there was no affair.
That same day, Froyd posted a series of messages criticizing Russini, which ultimately led her to be fired from USA TODAY Sports less than a week later.
Vrabel remains the head coach of the Patriots, who have stood by him even after he stepped away from the team on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft to attend counseling alongside his family.
