The scandal involving former NFL insider Dianna Russini and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has shown no signs of stopping despite being uncovered almost two months ago. Despite resigning from her job at ‘The Athletic’ over two months ago, the fallout from Russini’s alleged relationship with Vrabel has continued to steal the spotlight in the offseason.
Crissy Froyd Details Fallout From Dianna Russini – Mike Vrabel Scandal
After speaking about the Russini-Vrabel scandal, former USA TODAY Sports reporter Crissy Froyd was fired by the publication in April and has since become one of the leading voices in the saga.
During an appearance on last week’s “Mike Drop” podcast with host Mike Asti, Froyd revealed how much her life had changed since she became one of the journalists still delving into the matter.
“It caught me off guard because I never expected this to happen,” Froyd said. “At the time I tweeted that, actually, I was pretty much using Twitter to post articles on and then really wasn’t actually even on it that much, and then I waited a long time to do that because whenever the Page Six photos first came out, I really wanted to just go ahead and say something then.”
“I’ve been recognized by DoorDash drivers and all sorts of people,” Froyd added about what else has changed in her life since then. “I’ve actually changed locations quite a few times because you never know who all is involved in this stuff. You never know what people are trying to do to you… But whenever stuff like this happens, it’s kind of best to keep people guessing as to where your whereabouts are.”
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Froyd then revealed whether her comments on the scandal have affected her personally. She said, “I would say that most days I feel okay, but there is a constant, like, subconscious level of anxiety, if that makes sense, because it’s just like getting slapped with PTSD, like, all over again.”
On Sunday, Froyd announced on X that, alongside her journalism career, she was pivoting to law school to learn criminal defense. In her interview, Froyd revealed that she has also been receiving widespread harassment on her devices.
“The backlash that I’ve gotten on social media, I mean, is annoying,” Froyd said. “Like, my phone is glitching because it’s going off so much… but if people think that they’re getting to me or something, that’s really all you’re getting to me with is that I can’t use my technology properly, and it’s pissing me off. So, that’s the extent, and also, I monetized Twitter and have made over $1,000.”
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Questions about the ethics of the alleged relationship between Russini and Vrabel have been widespread. Last week, podcaster Tony Farmer claimed that Russini had insider knowledge of offensive tackle Morgan Moses’ move to the Patriots before the New York Jets allowed him to hit free agency last year.
Crucially, Russini’s deleted post announcing the move was made before the start of the legal tampering period, potentially putting the Patriots in violation of league rules.