A sports reporter called out the patriarchy after Dianna Russini resigned from the Athletic just days after photos captured her and NFL coach Mike Vrabel holding hands at a hotel.
Jemele Hill — a contributing journalist to the Atlantic and a former colleague of Russini’s — exclusively spoke with Page Six about the headline-making sports scandal.
“[Dianna] has been the focus of all of the conversations, and I think there’s some legitimate questions that Mike Vrabel has to answer to that don’t have anything to do with his marriage,” Hill argued.
“But it speaks to his credibility as a football coach and being in a position of leadership.”
The NFL insider pointed out that football players are often urged to steer clear of any “distractions.”
“Coaches are constantly lecturing players about how they can’t let their personal lives become team issues or, you know, create another conversation outside of football,” Hill explained, alleging, “And that’s exactly what he did.”
Hill believes Russini is being held to a higher standard due to her gender.
“There are a number of really cardinal rules that I have seen male reporters break, and, you know, they didn’t lose their entire careers behind it,” she said. “And they also didn’t have to worry about their entire gender being stigmatized over that journalistic lapse in judgment.”
Earlier this week, Hill wrote on X, “I don’t disagree that’s the issue. But it’s interesting to me how Dianna is bearing all the consequences and I also know that so many men in the business are completely compromised by cozy relationships.”
She expanded further on her message, telling Page Six that she was “calling attention to that double standard.”
“Based off the reaction, you would have thought Diana Russini was in this photo by herself,” she said, referring to our exclusive images. “You know, all the memes, all the jokes, she has been the focus of all of the conversations.”
Hill also told us that she’s used to hearing rumors about how women journalists obtain information.
“If I had a dollar for every time I hear about … sports reporters sleeping with a source or a player or coach or somebody in the business, I wouldn’t be talking to you. I’d be on a beach in Fiji right now,” she joked, adding, “It’s the laziest rumor you can possibly hear about people.”
While Hill admitted that she doesn’t personally know the details of Russini and Vrabel’s dynamic off the field, she noted that if they did have a “cozy” relationship, it would be “considered to be one of the cardinal rules of journalism you do not break.”
However, Hill doesn’t believe Russini’s resignation was in any way an “admission of guilt.”
“She probably realized that her ability to be a reporter and cover this leak had been completely compromised,” she explained. “You know, it’s an early principle we all learned in journalism is that you never want to be the story.”
Hill and Russini previously worked together at ESPN. They knew each other “socially” and had gone out for dinner and drinks “a few times.”
“We just kind of struck up a rapport and and had a good relationship,” the sports reporter told us.
Hill spoke out after Page Six published exclusive photos earlier this month of Russini and Vrabel holding hands and spending the day together at the luxury Ambiente hotel in Sedona, Arizona.
A source told us at the time that Russini and Vrabel — who are both married to other people — had breakfast on the patio of the hotel restaurant around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, before spending a leisurely hour by the pool.
The sportscaster and the New England Patriots coach both claimed that they were there with other friends, despite them appearing solo in the images. However, three other eyewitnesses told Page Six that they didn’t see anyone else with Vrabel and Russini at the hotel.
Earlier this week, Russini resigned from her role at the Athletic in a letter to Executive Editor Steven Ginsberg and obtained by Page Six.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” the letter read. “When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful.”
She claimed that the “media frenzy” around the photos was “hurtling forward” without regard for the review process.
“It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept,” her statement continued.
“Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”
Russini, the Senior NFL Insider at the Athletic, started working for the outlet in 2021.
