- 0 Shares
- Updated
Getty
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 07: Dianna Russini attends FanDuel's Super Bowl Party Powered by Spotify on February 07, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jeff Schear/Getty Images for FanDuel's Super Bowl Party Powered by Spotify!)
It’s getting harder and harder to argue that no one lost more than Dianna Russini in the fallout of her cheating scandal with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
While Vrabel endured some uncomfortable moments since the allegations surfaced earlier this year, he’s currently preparing the Patriots to defend their AFC title this season. Russini, meanwhile, has disappeared from the public eye after losing her job with The Athletic. That certainly cost her in more ways than one.
Dianna Russini Salary? New Report Details How Much Mike Vrabel Scandal Cost Reporter
The New York Times detailed the months-long saga with some new reporting on June 24, a story that included details about the NFL reporter’s salary with The Athletic. According to the report, Russini was making a massive amount of money.
“Ms. Russini was not just any reporter,” the Times’ Katherine Rosan and Ken Belson wrote. “The Athletic paid her an annual salary of close to $800,000, according to a former manager who had knowledge of her salary negotiation. This would have made her one of the highest-paid journalists at the Times Company.”
On paper, it looks like a lot of money, and it certainly is, especially for someone in the media. It’s an industry that isn’t traditionally known for high wages. However, The Athletic made her the face of their NFL reporting, giving her high-profile assignments while also tabbing her to host a popular podcast.
“She had been promoted as a face of the sports publication, which the company bought in 2022 for $550 million as part of an effort to expand the Times’s reach to sports fans around the world,” the report added. “At the time the story broke, The Athletic was in discussions with Ms. Russini about renewing her contract, which was set to expire at the end of June.”
Mike Cole Mike Cole covers golf as well as the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans for Heavy.com. He previously worked at NESN where he covered Boston sports (and much more) for 15 years. More about Mike Cole