NFL reporter Chrissy Floyd has been fired from her position at USA Today after publicly celebrating Deanna Russini’s departure from Athletic over her photo scandal with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.
“USA TODAY Sports has terminated its contractual relationship with Chrissy Floyd effective immediately. Her recent comments do not reflect our commitment to professionalism and do not support our principles of ethical conduct,” the outlet said in a statement Thursday.
In a statement to Page Six following news of his firing, Floyd said: “The first thing I want to say is that I don’t regret anything I said and I stand by the fact that it’s all true.”
“I’ve spent about half of my life working for USA TODAY SMG, and I want to thank USA TODAY SMG for the wonderful ride it’s given me. I’m very saddened that this relationship has come to an end and that my contract has been terminated because of this.”
“Even if the situation seems dangerous, I never say anything I don’t support because I know the potential consequences,” she continued. “Thank you to everyone who supported me before and after I made this statement.”
Floyd went on to call out USA Today columnist Nancy Armor, saying it was “incredibly interesting” that she “was able to run an article about Deanna Russini restoring confidence in women in sports, but then somehow couldn’t continue doing it after saying what she wanted to say about it.” And not as an employee, but as an independent contractor on your own social media account.
“Regardless of what happens to me in the future, I want to say something: Don’t be afraid of potentially becoming a martyr for a good cause. I put myself out there in a way that was very uncomfortable for me in some ways, but I thought it was worth doing,” Floyd added, saying that given his actions, he “didn’t shy away” from any public scrutiny.
“I’m incredibly proud of everything I’ve accomplished, and I’m walking away with my head held high,” she concluded.
Floyd told Page Six that before he received the news of his termination, which was allegedly communicated over the phone, he received an email from the USA Today Sports Media Group division regarding his social media activity.
“We are contacting you regarding the issues caused by your X posts regarding the Russini situation, which have become their own news production cycle that directly ties USA TODAY to your own independent posts off-platform,” the email, seen by Page Six, said in part.
“Most of the Russini conjectures are unverified, and your comments are now linked by name to USA TODAY in several articles. As you can imagine, this is a serious problem for the company. We would never publish something like that on our platform.”
Mr. Floyd’s firing came shortly after he publicly criticized fellow reporter Mr. Russini, 43, over a photo published exclusively by Page Six last week of him and Mr. Vrabel, 50, hugging and holding hands at an Arizona resort.
“I’m sure they told me to hand in this or they’ll fire me instead. Don’t hit the door on the way out,” the reporter tweeted Tuesday, along with Russini’s resignation letter.
“We know who you really are and what you’ve been up to all these years,” she insisted. “It has a huge negative impact on women who have played sports the right way.”
“We all know what (Russini) was doing,” Floyd added, accusing the reporter of getting into “an altercation with other reporters in a Chili’s parking lot over his relationship with a married NFL coach.”
“That’s almost certainly all true,” she asserted, calling Russini’s alleged behavior “the worst-kept secret in NFL reporting for some time.”
Page Six reached out to Russini for comment on Floyd’s tweet, but he did not immediately respond.
Russini and Vrabel, who are both married to strangers, visited Ambiente, a boutique resort in Sedona, Arizona, on March 28.
A Page Six spy said the pair had breakfast on the hotel patio, then took a leisurely dip in the pool and finished their time relaxing side by side in the hot tub. Later, they were spotted on the private rooftop of a hotel bungalow.
Vrabel responded to the photos in a statement, telling Page Six: “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable and deserves no further response.”
Russini said of the snapshot, “The photo does not represent a group of six people hanging out during the day. Like most NFL journalists, the reporter is interacting with sources away from the stadium and other venues.”
Following the incident, Russini announced his resignation from The Athletic amid an internal investigation.
