The Dianna Russini fallout is less about scandal than who carries blame in the NFL

Dianna Russini, one of the NFL’s most high-profile reporters, is photographed holding hands with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at a fancy resort in Sedona, Arizona. Rumors fly. Vrabel and Russini, who are both married to other people, issue statements denying the assumptions of something untoward. But the firestorm only grows. Russini resigns from her post at the Athletic, Vrabel continues with his job as usual.

The female reporter’s career is in shambles. Meanwhile, it’s business as usual for the male head coach.

Who could have seen this coming?

I have no idea about the exact nature of Vrabel and Russini’s relationship. No matter what the truth is, this uncomfortable and sad saga was only going to end one way. Because that’s how the NFL and sports media in general work. Women, especially when they are outgoing and attractive like Russini, are portrayed as having ulterior motives. They get the attention and the blame. The internet has been quick to point the finger of blame at Russini, whether subtly or overtly. People magazine, a publication not exactly known for its coverage of the NFL media landscape, was suddenly very keen to write about Russini – and the dynamics of her marriage.

While Russini felt she had to resign, Vrabel gets to keep plugging along. It helps when your team’s owner is Robert Kraft, who is well versed in dealing with scandals. It also helps that Vrabel turned the Patriots from one of the worst teams in the NFL to a Super Bowl contender. Indeed, while Russini fights to save her career and reputation, Vrabel’s biggest problem seems to be preparing for this month’s NFL draft. “I’d say [Vrabel] has been in there with us this round probably a little more than he was in there last year … He’s been in there. He’s been contributing. He’s watched a ton of the players,” Patriots vice-president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said this week.

Many observers will argue that Vrabel’s job is to coach football, while Russini’s is to maintain journalistic neutrality; that’s why he’s still employed and she isn’t.

While having an affair with a coach is obviously a fireable offense, we still don’t know the exact nature of their relationship. NFL reporting is wildly competitive and you’re only as valuable as your scoops. The job is rooted in building and maintaining relationships. Go to any NFL combine and you’ll see reporters getting shitfaced with even more shitfaced general managers and coaches. All in the name of those reporters getting intel.

Eventually, many of the reporters become friends with those same coaches and GMs. And what is already a blurry relationship to navigate is about five million times more difficult when you’re female. The Vrabel situation aside, I can well imagine the level of grossness Russini has encountered while doing her job.

If Russini did cross the line with Vrabel her decision to resign was correct. But it appears you get a lot more leeway if you’re a male journalist.

In 2021, as part of an investigation into Washington’s football team, a 2011 email was uncovered from NFL insider Adam Schefter to team president Bruce Allen in which he asked for Allen’s approval for an unpublished article.

“Please let me know if you see anything that should be added, changed, tweaked,” Schefter wrote. “Thanks, Mr Editor, for that and the trust.”

Anyone who’s taken an intro-to-journalism class knows this is a major violation. You never let a source proofread your reporting. This alone would have curtailed the career of a lesser-known reporter. A female reporter would probably have been accused of being flirty for the “Mr Editor” addition as well.

Schefter kept his job at ESPN and his career has only blossomed since. He’s a dogged, hard-working reporter and a mostly trusted source of breaking news, even if he admits his work is not always perfect. His bosses and fans understand there are backroom deals we are not privy to, but no one cares so long as Schefter is first to tell us about the next NFL trade.

How is Russini and Vrabel’s hazy relationship any worse than Schefter’s email to Allen?

One difference is that the exact nature of Schefter’s dealings with Allen were provable since they were part of a subpoena. But the more obvious difference is that Schefter’s value to ESPN is too significant to let one issue end his career. Also, he’s a man on television which means he has no expiration date as long as he’s bringing in the news.

In a few months, attention will turn to Patriots training camp and then the season. Vrabel’s worth will be rooted in his team’s win-loss record. If the Patriots’ results fall off and Vrabel gets fired, he’ll find another NFL job in a heartbeat, maybe even in the media as a TV analyst.

Meanwhile, unless Russini is absolved, she’ll be known as the reporter who breached the media-source relationship. Others have wondered if the story will impact women in sports media in general. The male reporters and NFL staff out there ought to thank their lucky stars that the same standard doesn’t apply to them.