The Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel saga was already one of the most chaotic off-field stories the NFL had seen in years and it just picked up another chapter.
The main controversy broke on April 7 when Page Six published steamy photos of Russini and Vrabel holding hands and embracing at an adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona.
Page Six followed up on April 23 with new photos showing the pair kissing at a New York City bar in 2020. TMZ then surfaced footage and documents from a private boat rental in Tennessee in June 2021, when Russini was pregnant with her first child.
Feb 7, 2022; Westlake Village, CA, USA; ESPN reporter Dianna Russini at Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl LVI Opening Night at Oaks Christian High School. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Russini resigned from The Athletic on April 14 and went radio silent before the outlet’s internal investigation had concluded. As of this week, that investigation remains ongoing and has escalated from a personal scandal into a professional crisis, as explosive new allegations of team tampering have come to light.
The fallout took another turn this week when sports writer Crissy Froyd openly challenged Russini to sue her over comments calling her unethical.
Crissy Froyd unleashes on Dianna Russini amid Mike Vrabel tampering drama
Philadelphia sports radio host Howard Eskin alleged that Russini gathered information from coaches and players to pass along to Vrabel, calling it flat-out tampering. NBC Sports insider Mike Florio raised similar questions, wondering if Russini’s reporting shaped the trade market to benefit Vrabel’s teams.
Critics refer to a March 2025 post where Russini reported that offensive tackle Morgan Moses would hit free agency. Her graphic accidentally included a New England Patriots logo. She quickly deleted it, but Moses signed with New England less than 24 hours later—before the NFL’s legal tampering window even opened.
Froyd chose to step into this storm. When Russini resigned, Froyd criticized her on X, accusing her of damaging the reputation of other women in sports media. She had to pay a high price as USA Today Sports ended its contract with Froyd within two days, stating her posts did not reflect its standards for professionalism and ethical conduct.
Now, employed at Heavy Sports, Froyd has added fuel to the fire. On Monday, she took to X and wrote, “While I am studying law and doing journalism, I want to say I’m very selective on which Dianna Russini interviews I do. Please provide something substantial with your request. Otherwise I’d like to move on from an unethical whore.”
I’ve got too much going for me and am tired of this. I hope she’s found guilty of tampering as she is.
And I hope she sues me so I can demand discovery. Dianna, I wish you were worth a feather. https://t.co/hUUuIXut6X
— Crissy Froyd (@crissy_froyd) June 22, 2026
A few moments later on the same day, she dropped another post, penning, “I’ve got too much going for me and am tired of this. I hope she’s found guilty of tampering as she is. And I hope she sues me so I can demand discovery. Dianna, I wish you were worth a feather.”
USA Today cut ties with Froyd, but she is not showing any sign of backing down. According to updates on her recent interview, she explained that her detractors were anonymous internet trolls hiding behind burner accounts on social media. Froyd stated that she tracked their behavior and reported them to their respective employers, leading to their termination.
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