Diana Russini used her position as an NFL insider to get out of a traffic ticket, a ploy the new York Times Criticized as “unacceptable conduct”.
On April 14, Russini resigned from his position as NFL Insider. athleticowned by the new York Times. His resignation comes just a week after photos surfaced of Russini hanging out with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at an adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona.
Photos taken on March 28 showed Russini and Vrabel (both married) embracing, holding hands and relaxing in a swimming pool.
Katherine Roseman and Ken Belson the new York Times Wrote an in-depth article about Russini’s NFL media career and the scandal that led to his sudden departure athletic.
The article references a story shared by Rasini “Stugotz & Company” Back in February. Rasini claimed that a cop had pulled her over for texting and driving with her two sons in the vehicle.
Russini said she was trying to spread the news of the Buffalo Bills firing head coach Sean McDermott. When the policeman said he was a fan of another team (the team was not specified), Russini used his insider status to get out of the ticket, setting up a FaceTime call between the officer and the unnamed coach:
“Do you want to talk to the coach? You should talk to the coach,” Russini recalled. “I FaceTime the head coach. The head coach is in his office. He’s like, ‘What’s going on?’ I say, ‘I just got pulled over and I just wanted you to meet my friend, Officer Joe.’
The cop agreed after Koch said, “You should let her go, she’s a good citizen.”
According to Roseman and Belson, Times Company spokeswoman Danielle Rhodes Ha said it was “unacceptable conduct” on Rusini’s part. Ha noted that company guidelines require employees to seek permission to speak on other podcasts.
Rasini joined athletic in August 2023 after an eight-year tenure at ESPN. Prior to this, he worked at NBC Washington from 2013 to 2015.
Mike Vrabel attended counseling after scandal surfaced
Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jane, since 1999. Two weeks after the photos were published, Vrabel announced he would forgo the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft. to participate in counseling.
In his first year as New England head coach, Vrabel went 14–3 and led them to Super Bowl 60, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
