Dianna Russini NFL media future (Getty Images)

Dianna Russini NFL media future (Getty Images)

Because we worked really well together… I do miss having her a lot, “Honestly, just really bummed that we don’t get to continue it. ” The NFL announced separately that it was not investigating Vrabel over the matter.

“She was, you know, I don’t think people understand the level of elite that she was performing at,” Silver said. “Really, really proud of the journalism we did together,” Silver said. Mike Silver did not hold back. He framed Dianna Russini as someone operating well above the standard level of NFL reporting, not just breaking news but maintaining deep, daily relationships across the entire league ecosystem. That partnership ended in April when Page Six published photos of Russini and Vrabel at an Arizona resort. The Athletic opened an internal review, and Russini resigned while that process was still active. Both she and Vrabel denied any impropriety, maintaining the images were taken out of context during a group gathering. In her resignation statement, Russini defended her work and called the speculation around her “unmoored from the facts. What Silver actually offered here was a credibility argument. He covered the NFL alongside Dianna Russini. He knows the league, the sourcing standards, and what it takes to be trusted at that level. His assessment that she will return is not optimism for its own sake. It comes from watching exactly what kind of reporter she is.