Dianna Russini’s massive salary before exit over Mike Vrabel scandal revealed: report

Dianna Russini was making an eye-popping amount of money as a sports reporter before she lost her job over her scandal with Mike Wrabel, according to a new report.The NFL insider’s professional career imploded in April, when Page Six published pictures of Russini cozying up at a luxury Arizona resort to Vrabel, the head coach of the New England Patriots. Both Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, are married to other people.

The Athletic, where Russini had worked since 2023, initially supported the former reporter as she insisted that there was no romantic relationship between her and Vrabel, despite the pictures showing the pair holding hands and sharing a hot tub.However, as additional details pointing to a potential affair emerged, the New York Times-owned sports outlet launched an internal investigation into Russini, which led her to resign from her position as the senior NFL insider less than a week later.Before her exit, the former ESPN analyst was one of the highest-paid journalists at the publication.

open image in galleryDianna Russini was one of the highest paid reporters at 'The Athletic' before she lost her job over the Mike Vrabel scandal (Getty)Russini was making an annual salary of $800,000 working for The Athletic, a former manager who knew her income told the New York Times in a story published Wednesday. The Times reported that Russini had been in talks with the department to renew her contract, which was set to expire at the end of June.In the days after the bombshell pictures were published, more outlets came forward with additional proof of the rumored relationship going as far back as March 2020, when pictures appeared to show them kissing in a New York City bar.

A video from June 2021 also resurfaced and showed Vrabel and Russini — who was pregnant with her first child at the time —walking on a dock together before they got on a boat they privately rented for several hours in Putnam County, Tennessee.In her resignation letter, Russini maintained that she covered the NFL “with professionalism and dedication.”“I stand behind every story I have ever published,” she said.

open image in galleryNew England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said he was seeking counseling after his scandal with Dianna Russini (Reuters)Russini wrote that when the photos were first published, The Athletic “supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful.”Vrabel initially shot down rumors of their romance and called the allegations “laughable.”

As more photos surfaced, he apologized for the scandal without clarifying the nature of his relationship with Russini. Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, he said he would skip part of the NFL draft in order to attend counseling.Last month, he shared a rare update on his personal life at a Patriots press conference, telling reporters: “My family is great.

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