‘New York Times' Says Dianna Russini Performed ‘Unacceptable Conduct' to Avoid a Traffic Ticket

Dianna Russini used her status as an NFL insider to get out of a traffic ticket, a move The New York Times slammed as "unacceptable conduct."

On April 14, Russini resigned from her position as an NFL insider at The Athletic, which is owned by The New York Times. Her exit came just one week after photos surfaced of Russini hanging out with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at an adults-only resort in Sedona, Arizona.

The images, taken on March 28, showed Russini and Vrabel (both married) hugging, holding hands and relaxing at a swimming pool.

Katherine Rosman and Ken Belson of The New York Times wrote an in-depth piece about Russini's NFL media career and the scandal that led to her abrupt departure from The Athletic.

The article contains a reference to a story Russini shared on the "Stugotz and Company" back in February. Russini claimed that a cop had pulled her over for texting and driving with her two sons in the vehicle.

Russini said that she was trying to break news of the Buffalo Bills' firing of head coach Sean McDermott. When the cop said he was a fan of another team (the team wasn't specified), Russini used her 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. Head coach is in his office. He said, ‘What's up?' I go, ‘I just got pulled over and I just wanted you to meet my friend, Officer Joe.'"

The cop agreed after the coach said, "You should let her go, she's a good citizen."

According to Rosman and Belson, Times Company spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said it was "unacceptable conduct" on Russini's end. Ha had noted that company guidelines require employees to seek permission to speak on other podcasts.

Russini joined The Athletic in Aug. 2023 after an eight-year stint at ESPN. Before that, she worked at NBC Washington from 2013 to 2015.

Mike Vrabel Attended Counseling After the Scandal Came to Light

Vrabel has been married to his wife, Jen, since 1999. Two weeks after the photos were published, Vrabel announced that he would skip day three of the 2026 NFL Draft to attend counseling.

In his first year as New England's head coach, Vrabel went 14-3 and led them to a Super Bowl 60 appearance, where they fell to the Seattle Seahawks.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 24, 2026 at 7:08 PM.