Rusty Weiss
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith pushed back against claims of misogyny in the fallout from photos showing NFL reporter Dianna Russini with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at an Arizona resort.
We all know the story at this point, right?
The New York Post’s Page Six published the photos and accompanying story back on April 7th. The images, taken two weekends earlier, showed Vrabel and Russini — both married — holding hands, embracing, and relaxing together at the adults-only Ambiente resort.
Everyone involved professed innocence, even though everyone involved tried to squash the story.
Speaking on his SiriusXM and Mad Dog Sports Radio show, Smith indicated that he apparently believes Russini and Vrabel.
“I give her the benefit of the doubt. She worked at ESPN for 10 years as my colleague. She’s a wonderful person, she’s a damn good reporter, I respect the hell out of her, and I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt,” Smith said.
But that is based on what he’s seen thus far. His mind can be changed.
“If she says this stuff isn’t true, I’m gonna believe her until further evidence to the contrary is provided,’ added Smith.
Stephen A. Smith dismisses misogyny from Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel coverage: ‘The onus is on her’ https://t.co/YFhNbFcDqA
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 20, 2026
Stephen A. Smith Pushes Back Hard: No Misogyny Here, Just Reporter Responsibility
Beyond that, however, Stephen A. was quick to pour cold water on any argument that Russini is being treated unfairly because she’s the woman in this scandal.
“Having said that, it still didn’t stop me from saying that when you know that you are a reporter and this is a head coach of an NFL team and you cover the NFL, you can’t put yourself in that position,” he insisted.
“I don’t think misogyny applies in this particular case,” Smith added. “The fact of the matter is, he’s the head coach of an NFL team. She’s a reporter. The onus is on her to make sure her objectivity is not skewed in any way.”
Vrabel, who is married, has faced far fewer professional repercussions, a disparity that fueled accusations of a double standard.
Smith’s comments come after Russini resigned from The Athletic last week amid an internal investigation triggered by the Page Six photos, which appeared to show the pair holding hands and hugging. Russini initially maintained that the images were misleading and lacked context from a larger group setting.
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day,” Russini told the Post. “Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
Vrabel described the photos as showing “a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable.”
Her resignation, along with new reports that Patriots owner Robert Kraft tried to intervene to prevent the New York Post from publishing the photos, suggests there is more to it.
