Dianna Russini and Dave Portnoy
Dianna Russini and Dave Portnoy
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Former NFL insider Dianna Russini has been out of work since resigning from The Athletic in April amid her scandal with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. Over the summer, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy made it clear that he’d be happy to bring her on board if she wanted to return to sports media.
Now, Russini is reportedly set to make her comeback as soon as next week. But it doesn’t sound like Barstool will be her new home, as Portnoy has confirmed that his company is not where she’s headed.
Portnoy’s ‘No-Brainer’ Comments
Russini resigned from The Athletic in April, one week after Page Six published photos of her and Vrabel together at a resort in Arizona. Both denied any wrongdoing at the time, but more photos later surfaced showing the two kissing at a New York City bar back in 2020.
The Athletic later conducted a review of her work, and its findings, released in September, said her relationship with Vrabel was a clear violation of its standards. Russini has stayed quiet publicly since her resignation.
But in July, Portnoy said that he would have no problem hiring Russini at Barstool, calling it a “no-brainer” if she wanted to work there.
“No-brainer, if she wanted to work here, we’d do it,” Portnoy said, via Us Weekly.
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“An affair is not like a murder. It’s bad, but I’m not in the family. She’ll land somewhere, and you know, if people who have affairs are never allowed to work again in this country, you’re gonna lose a significant amount of the workforce,” Portnoy added. “It is obviously really sad, but at the same time, that’s not like a capital offense that should end somebody’s professional career.”
Barstool’s Dan “Big Cat” Katz had said back in April that he wasn’t sure Russini would even want to work at Barstool, given the jokes the company had made about her situation.
Not Headed to Barstool
On Wednesday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that Russini has started getting the word out around the NFL that she’ll be returning to work “next week,” according to a source. Florio noted that it’s still unclear where she’ll be working or what she’ll be doing.
Considering Portnoy’s comments over the summer, plenty of people wondered if Barstool might be her landing spot. But Portnoy has shot that idea down.
“A few months ago @stoolpresidente said he would consider hiring Dianna Russini at Barstool. Nevertheless, he tells @fos that Barstool is not her apparent looming destination,” Front Office Sports’ Ryan Glasspiegel wrote on X.
That leaves plenty of speculation about where Russini will turn up next week. Whether it’s a podcast, a newsletter, or another outlet, she’ll have a lot of work to do to rebuild her credibility as a reporter. But it’s clear that it won’t be with Barstool.