A female NFL reporter was offered the chance to be mentored by former Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini, but says she declined due to Russini’s alleged track record.
“Someone once propositioned me to have Dianna potentially be my mentor,” USA Today’s Crissy Froyd said in a statement to the Daily Caller, published Wednesday, April 15. “I declined because I knew what she was about and her track record.”
Froyd, 26, graduated from LSU in 2021 and worked for NBC and Sports Illustrated before landing at USA Today. She initially made waves on Tuesday, April 14, when she responded to Russini’s resignation letter via X.
“I’m sure you were told to submit this or that you’d get fired instead,” she wrote. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. We know who you really are and what you’ve been up to for years. It does so much detriment to women in sports who have done things the right way.”
Russini, 43, resigned on Tuesday amid an investigation from The Athletic into photos published by Page Six showing her with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at a resort in Arizona. The photos included shots of Russini, 43, and Vrabel, 50, appearing to clasp their hands together and another with their arms around each other. Both reporter and coach have insisted the photos are innocent.
In her statement to the Daily Caller, Froyd thanked the outlet for having the “audacity” to write about Russini “being called out,” which she said the former Athletic writer “deserves.”
“All of us do know what she’s been up to,” Froyd said. “It was the worst kept secret in the NFL reporting world for a while.”
She added, “I will say there’s a line. Alright, so, you probably have seen a lot of people coming after me. I’ll be transparent and I would love to use this as the greatest example.”
Froyd then pointed to a sexual relationship that she had with former collegiate quarterback JT Daniels, which she said did not begin until after he retired from football.
“I can honestly say I have never slept with a player or coach for professional gain,” she wrote. “Dianna cannot say the same. That’s where the difference is.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Russini for comment on Froyd’s statement.
In her resignation letter from The Athletic, Russini stood by her record as a reporter.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” she wrote in the letter, which she shared via social media on Tuesday. “When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.”
She added, “Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.”
