Dianna Russini was an NFL 'Insider.' Was she also out of bounds?

Dianna Russini was an NFL “insider,” and the article questions whether that access was also “out of bounds.” It describes how Russini—then a star NFL reporter for The Athletic—was stopped in January while texting and driving with two young sons. According to the account, she told the officer the Buffalo Bills coach had been fired and tried to use that information to get out of a citation, later offering to connect him with his preferred team’s coach through FaceTime. The article then notes that in early March, The New York Post published photos showing Russini and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel relaxing at an Arizona resort, with both reportedly married to others. Additional images from the Post and TMZ fueled speculation and shifted attention to her relationship with Vrabel, a figure she had covered extensively. The Times Co.-owned publication reportedly paid Russini close to $800,000 annually, and said it initially backed her as “context” was missing, before investigating her reporting; she resigned before the review ended.