Jhelum Mehta
When veteran NFL insider Dianna Russini stepped away from The Athletic earlier this year, she insisted her reporting and credibility remained intact. But she’s back in the headlines after it was revealed she was pulled over in January for allegedly texting while driving and called an NFL head coach in an attempt to avoid the ticket.
Russini, who left The Athletic after her photo controversy involving Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel surfaced in April, is also reportedly under review by her former employer over whether her relationship with Vrabel may have influenced her reporting. Now, the latest revelation about allegedly trying to leverage an NFL connection during a traffic stop has only added more fuel to the controversy.
Who Was The Mystery NFL Coach On Call With Diana Russini?
X user Tony Sparks resurfaced Russini’s February podcast appearance, where she openly talked about using her NFL connections in an attempt to get out of a traffic ticket.
Appearing on the Stugotz and Company podcast, Russini admitted she “made a nasty play” by calling an NFL head coach after being pulled over. She said it was the second time in a month she’d been stopped with her kids in the car. According to Russini, she told the officer she had been on her phone because then-Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott had been fired and she was trying to break the news. The explanation didn’t move the officer, who reportedly replied that he wasn’t a Bills fan.
Sparks, however, questioned another part of Russini’s story. He pointed to the reported 6:18 a.m. traffic stop in January and wondered whether a West Coast NFL head coach would realistically already be in the office that early. Based on that timeline, he argued it was unlikely to have been Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, Rams coach Sean McVay, or Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh. He also ruled out the Raiders, noting Klint Kubiak had not yet been hired, while Pete Carroll had already been let go.
According to The New York Times, Vrabel was not the coach Russini FaceTimed during the traffic stop, citing a person she had shared the story with.
Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokesperson for The New York Times Company, called Russini’s comments on the podcast “unacceptable conduct” and said editors at The Athletic were unaware of the appearance. The report also noted that Russini did not seek the required company approval before appearing on the podcast.
