Dianna Russini Returns to NFL Coverage With New BetUS Show

Dianna Russini began a new chapter in NFL coverage on November 11, launching The Russini Report, a one-hour BetUS show, and publishing a column ahead of its premiere. The column did not discuss Mike Vrabel or the controversy that preceded her departure from The Athletic. Instead, Russini described walking, spending time with her family and thinking about football during her absence.

Russini said her husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, and their two sons helped her appreciate ordinary family life. She also wrote that she remained deeply interested in the NFL and planned to use her column to share league news, conversations and analysis, along with her own reflections on what stories mean.

She resigned from The Athletic in April after photographs showed her and Vrabel, then the New England Patriots’ head coach, holding hands at a resort in Sedona, Arizona. The images prompted allegations of an affair, which both denied. The Athletic’s subsequent investigation found Russini had not complied with its standards, while finding limited evidence of bias in her reporting.

Russini has described the past six months as heartbreaking and said the situation became difficult for her and her husband to follow online. She said people across the NFL contacted her with support. Her return column drew criticism from at least one reader, who accused her of avoiding accountability.