NFL reporter Crissy Froyd has delivered an angry response to comments made by Dianna Russini ahead of the former Athletic insider’s return to football coverage.
Russini stepped down from The Athletic in April after images appeared to show her holding hands with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at an adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona. The pictures prompted speculation about the nature of their relationship.
A subsequent investigation by the New York Times-owned publication concluded that Russini had failed to comply with its standards.
She is now preparing to resume NFL reporting through a weekly program called The Russini Report, produced by Costa Rica-based gambling platform BetUS.
In her first interview since the controversy, Russini spoke to People about what she described as a “nightmare” period that left her “heartbroken.” She also highlighted the encouragement she received from people across the NFL as she considered returning to the spotlight.
“I really hope that I can be someone other women see and think: you can pick yourself up, get back in there and not be afraid,” Russini said.
NFL reporter Crissy Froyd lost her USA Today position after criticizing Dianna Russini
Dianna Russini is returning to NFL coverage after opening up about her difficult six months
Those remarks drew a sharp reaction from Froyd, who has criticized Russini since the controversy began.
“A hero and inspiration for women in sports? Gross thing to say when you’re the opposite. Lie to yourself and everyone else harder, @DMRussini. You disgust me,” Froyd wrote.
Froyd, who previously covered the NFL and college football for USA Today SMG, was dismissed soon after directing criticism at Russini as the reporter announced her departure from The Athletic.
After Russini’s resignation message was published, Froyd addressed her directly, writing: “I’m sure you were told to submit this or that you’d get fired instead.
“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.”
USA Today confirmed that Froyd’s contract had been terminated “effective immediately” because of her comments about Russini. Although Froyd later told TMZ she was “beyond distraught” by the decision, she said she did not regret what she had written.
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“I would like to acknowledge the statements put out about me recently and that I am also no longer with USA TODAY SMG. I regret zero of what I said and stand beside it,” Froyd wrote on X.
She continued: “I feel I’ve been very transparent and did nothing wrong.”
Russini left The Athletic after questions were raised about her connection with Mike Vrabel
Froyd has renewed her criticism of Russini following comments about the reporter’s NFL return
USA Today said Froyd’s remarks did not align with the company’s expectations for professionalism or its standards of ethical conduct.
Froyd is not the only female sports journalist to question Russini’s comeback. Former ESPN SportsCenter anchor Linda Cohn has argued that Russini should address the controversy openly if she wants to retain viewers beyond the first episode.
“There were a lot of people who didn’t even know who Dianna Russini was before that scandal with Mike Vrabel,” Cohn said on her self-titled program.
“Now that she has brought in people who are curious, viewers know her for all the wrong reasons. How is she going to keep them after the first show?”
Cohn suggested that audiences would want to hear Russini discuss the period after the images emerged last April, including what she experienced and what she took away from it.
“She is smart, and she doesn’t want my advice. But if she is smart, she would show her human side—that people make mistakes, that she made a significant one, and that she is willing to acknowledge the wrongdoing,” Cohn said.
Cohn also pushed back against the view that Russini should avoid discussing the scandal. In her opinion, addressing it could make the reporter appear more relatable.
“I think it could humanize her because everybody makes mistakes,” she said. “Maybe they don’t make that kind of mistake, but people make mistakes.
“If she can look in the mirror, speak honestly to her new viewers, and accept responsibility, then perhaps she can keep those people watching every Wednesday on her new show.”
