The former “Athletic” reporter resigned after photos emerged of the duo holding hands and relaxing in a hot tub.

NFL reporter Dianna Russini’s massive salary revealed amid Mike Vrabel scandal

The former "Athletic" reporter resigned after photos emerged of the duo holding hands and relaxing in a hot tub.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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June 24, 2026 1:55 p.m. ET

Dianna Russini. Credit:

Daniel Boczarski/Getty

- NFL reporter Dianna Russini's salary has been revealed on the heels of her resignation.

- The former reporter for *The Athletic* resigned in April amid an internal investigation into her journalistic conduct.

- The scandal began after intimate photos emerged of the NFL insider with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.

Before she was entrenched in scandal, sports reporter Dianna Russini had made it big.

Earlier this year, Russini made headlines after she was photographed holding hands on a rooftop and relaxing in a hot tub with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. The duo, who are both married to other people, initially said that the pictures were taken out of context, but Russini ultimately resigned from her role at *The Athletic* amid an internal investigation into her reporting conduct.

Two months later, *The New York Times* has further exposed details surrounding the scandal. A June 24 report detailing the fallout claims that Russini was one of the highest-paid journalists at the New York Times Company, which owns *The Athletic*.

Citing a former manager, the report claims that Russini had an annual salary of close to $800,000 as the publication's senior NFL insider.

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel; NFL reporter Dianna Russini.

Timothy T Ludwig/Getty; Amy Sussman/Getty

When the scandal broke in April, Russini was in the midst of negotiating the renewal of her contract, which was set to expire in June. But the deal never came to fruition: Page Six was the first to publish intimate photos of Russini and Vrabel, followed by other outlets — such as TMZ — publishing additional photos of the duo, which date all the way back to March 2020.

Both Russini and Vrabel initially released statements addressing the scandal, with Vrabel saying the photos showed "a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable."

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Russini's statement noted that the photos didn't fully represent their outing at the resort, saying there was a "group of six people who were hanging out during the day" and noting that it's not unusual for "reporters [to] interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues."

The *Times* report claims that though Russini alerted *The Athletic* about the photos being published, "More photos were included in the story than [*The Athletic*’s executive editor] Steven [Ginsberg] was originally shown or was made aware of. The photos that ultimately ran raised new questions about Dianna’s conduct."

Dianna Russini and Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions.

Stephen Maturen/Getty

A week later, Russini announced her resignation but continued to reject the narrative surrounding her and Vrabel.

"Unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts. Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process *The Athletic *is trying to complete," Russini wrote, referencing the internal investigation. "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."

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Explaining her decision to leave ahead of her contract's expiration, she added, "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."

After more photos of the duo emerged, Vrabel announced he would skip the third day of the NFL Draft to seek counseling.

"I take accountability for my actions, and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care the most about: my family, this football team, the organization, and our fans," Vrabel said in a press conference ahead of the draft. "My previous actions don't meet the standard that I hold myself to. And what I believe is best for the two most important things in my life — my family and this football team — are for us to take the necessary steps to work together and to give them what I told them I'd give to them, which is the best version of me, and that's what we're going to do."

He continued, "That [process] has started, that will continue this weekend, and that will continue for however long it takes for me to complete that promise of giving them the best version of me possible."

Vrabel said that he will "create" a "balance" between his family and the Patriots, and "my family needs me this weekend." He added that he won't have any further comment out of respect for his family.

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