Dianna Russini faces brutal mockery as she makes bold return to social media ahead of show launch

Controversial sports journalist Dianna Russini is back – but not everyone is convinced she’s better than ever.

Russini reactivated her X account on Tuesday, just months after her explosive relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel became the source of what she described as a “nightmare” scandal.

The reporter proved she still got it when she posted on X about a potential Kirk Cousins ​​trade between the Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders.

Shortly after releasing the inside information, the exchange was confirmed.

In a follow-up post, she also promoted her new show on BET Us, The Russini Report, which premieres on Wednesday.

However, even though Russini made it clear that she is still very much entrenched in the NFL, some users were quick to lash out at the disgraced reporter, who left her job at The New York Times’ Athletic shortly after it was revealed that her relationship with Vrabel was under investigation.

“Back as if nothing happened, huh? It’s over, no one is watching the show,” wrote one X user.

Another typed: “Do you still have sources?! »

“Just casually coming back,” someone else wrote.

In addition to her new show, she will join the BetUS Sportsbook team to write a weekly column on Wednesdays.

Russini and Vrabel were the subject of a widespread media firestorm after photos published by Page Six showed her and Vrabel at a resort in Sedona, Arizona, in March.

In separate photos published by Page Six, Russini and Vrabel were spotted kissing at a New York bar in March 2020.

The two men, who are each married to different people, have denied any allegations of an affair. However, an investigation by The Athletic found that their relationship “clearly violated The Athletic’s standards.”

“Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic or not, it was a breakup and should have been disclosed,” Mike Semel, the outlet’s editorial director for editorial standards and quality, wrote at the time.

For his part, Vrabel, who is married to his wife Jen, was absent from the third day of the NFL draft seeking advice.

This week, the sports journalist gave an interview to People, in which she claimed that the “lies” surrounding their relationship “have gotten so out of hand.”

“It was a runaway train, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Once we realized nothing was going to stop this, it became unhealthy for us to read it because it wasn’t helping us heal. It was building up and adding to what we were already dealing with,” she said.

The former ESPN reporter called the six months following the scandal “heartbreaking” and said the start of the controversy was a “nightmare.”

During the interview, Russini also shared that a mysterious NFL player helped her by sending supportive text messages at 5 a.m.

“They checked on me almost daily while I wasn’t working to make sure I stayed connected to football, to check on me as a person and just to see how I was doing,” she said.