Mike Silver isn’t ready to say goodbye to Dianna Russini covering the NFL, yet. The Athletic’s senior NFL writer believes Dianna Russini will resurface in football media soon.
What We Know Russini departed The Athletic in April after photos with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel surfaced. Silver worked alongside her there, though briefly, calling their partnership journalism he was proud of. He addressed her exit Wednesday on The Tom Tolbert Show. Silver shared that Russini’s family situation has improved since her departure, and believes she will be making a return to something surrounding football.
What They Said: (All quotes via Tom Tolbert Show):
Mike Silver believes Dianna Russini will be back with something surrounding football: “She’s doing a lot better, and her family’s doing well. I do think she’s going to be back. Probably not as an insider, at least in the short term. But I think she’ll be back in this realm, probably talking about football and other things pretty soon. I just wish we could have kept it going.”
Mike Silver on working with Dianna Russini: “She’s really good friend of mine. Worked with her at the Athletic for too short of a time, unfortunately. Really proud of the journalism we did together. Honestly, just really bummed that we don’t get to continue it because we worked really well together.”
Mike Silver feels Dianna Russini would agree the optics did look bad with her and Mike Vrabel: “If you just look at the optics, which I think she would agree is fair to do, it’s not good. Yet, it is a harder thing for a woman covering a man sport.”
Mike Silver says it’s always been hard for women to cover the NFL compared to a man: “It was always hard [for women to cover the NFL]. It’s still hard. This was a horrible brouhaha, and it obviously cost me the ability to work with someone I loved working with. The women in this business have always had to navigate that when covering men’s sports. There’s so many good ones, and I applaud the ones who’ve been able to kick ass in spite of that. A lot of things can be true, and she [Russini] was kicking ass.”
What Remains Unclear: Whether or not Russini does return to covering the NFL is unknown. The results of The Athletic’s own internal investigation have also not been published following Russini’s departure four months ago.
What It Means: Russini’s departure closes one chapter, yet Silver’s comments suggest it isn’t her last. Meanwhile, colleagues like Silver continue publicly backing her work. That support could shape where she lands next. Ultimately, whether football media has heard the last of Russini remains unknown. Her resume and accolades do present opportunity for someone willing to allow a second chance withing the industry.
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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.