“Players were texting me to get back to work”: Dianna Russini’s The Russini Report comeback could spell trouble for New England Patriots HC Mike Vrabel amid Sedona scandal controversy (Image 1 via Getty, Image 2 via PEOPLE: Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini)
For the past 15 years, it has been hard to imagine the league without Dianna Russini’s reporting. But now with the 2026 NFL season underway, Russini has been missing from the reporting scene. After dedicating 15 years to ESPN and The Athletic, she is now returning with a show of her own, promising to share her unfiltered thoughts.
“I felt like players were texting and calling me to say, ‘Get back to work, it’s time,’” she told PEOPLE. “It’s really going to be a show about everything I know that’s going on in the NFL,” she said. “Along with a lot of my opinions.”
“I think it’s pretty poetic that here I was all these years telling the story about these players going through adversity, and then they became sort of the people that I was learning from during this. She has delivered inside scoops that few others could ever get their hands on. Her rare ability to connect with players on a personal level, and others across the league, helped her develop relationships that often translated into exclusive updates and breaking news. Fans and followers would wait for her latest reports. Much like the injured players who work their way back to the gridiron after brutal injuries, she is making her own comeback from a brutal time. Each New Heights episode usually runs for about one to two hours. So, while Wednesday mornings belong to the Kelce brothers, Russini will take over the afternoon NFL conversation.
Now, the head coach’s off-field life could start affecting his on-field responsibilities. His team has already suffered four losses while recording just five wins.