The Philadelphia Eagles traded AJ Brown to the New England Patriots on Monday. However, following reporting as early as March, Dianna Russini was not credited with the story following the trade by one NFL insider. WFAN host Craig Carton says Russini deserves credit from her former NFL insider teammates.
What We Know: The deal sent Brown to New England for a 2028 first-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick. Russini, formerly of The Athletic, was among the first to report New England’s interest in Brown during the 2025 regular season. She continued pushing that story into 2026 before her departure from The Athletic. When the trade closed Monday, the industry’s biggest names announced it as their own — without a single nod to her work. Hence, Carton took to The Craig Carton Show Tuesday to share his credit to Russini while criticizing the establishment of the NFL insider game.
What They Said: Craig Carton on NFL insiders taking credit for Dianna Russini’s story: “Not one of them could help themselves. They all took credit for the breaking story. I’m first. My sources tell me. NFL sources tell me. Patriot sources tell me. Eagles sources tell me. I’m sitting there as an independent observer with no dog in the fight, and said to myself. You guys all got beat to this story by Dianna Russini. I don’t think you can throw it up for debate.”
Craig Carton believes Russini deserves credit for getting the story right: “We can mock how she got the story. We know what her source was, but at the end of the day she got it. She lost her job over it, but it’s her story.”
Craig Carton says yesterday’s example shows that NFL Insiders do not support one another: “This notion that they [NFL insiders] all like each other, look out and respect each other. They don’t. They had a chance yesterday to gather together in a unified pack and collectively say, as first reported by Dianna Russini of The Athletic. AJ Brown has been traded to the New England Patriots. Shame on you.”
What Remains Unclear: It’s still unknown whether Russini will publicly respond to how the industry handled her trade reporting. Or if she will take any credit for getting the reporting correct. Despite notions and allegations on how she gained the information. Also, what Russini’s next steps will be.
What It Means: Carton didn’t pull any punches with his opinion here. Despite allegations on how she got the information, the credit is due to Russini for her reporting. While many insiders have credited others within the establishment over time, it was notable that none referenced Russini in their reporting. Whether or not this adds to any credibility Russini has with brands remains unanswered. Russini will likely have many suitors looking for that first interview following the allegations of an affair with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
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John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
