Sportswriters criticized the patriarchy after Deanna Russini resigned from The Athletic, days after she and NFL coach Mike Vrabel were photographed holding hands in a hotel.
Jemele Hill, a journalist who writes for The Atlantic and a former colleague of Mr. Russini, spoke exclusively to Page Six about the headline-grabbing sports scandal.
“(Deanna) is the focus of every conversation. I think Mike Vrabel has some legitimate questions to answer that have nothing to do with his marriage,” Hill argued.
“But it speaks to his credibility as a football coach and in a leadership position.”
NFL officials noted that football players are often urged to avoid “distractions.”
“Coaches always preach to their players not to make their personal lives a team issue or create new topics outside of football,” Hill explained, “and that’s exactly what he did.”
Hill believes Russini is held to a higher standard because of her gender.
“There are a lot of really golden rules that I’ve seen male reporters break, and they didn’t lose their entire careers because of it,” she said. “Nor did they have to worry about their entire gender being stigmatized for a journalistic lapse in judgment.”
Earlier this week, Hill wrote to X: “I don’t disagree that it’s a problem. But it’s interesting to me how Deanna carries all the consequences, and I know that so many men in the industry are completely at risk by their cozy relationships.”
Expanding on her message, she told Page Six that she was “calling attention to that double standard.”
“Judging by the reactions, you would have thought Diana Russini was alone in this photo,” she said, referring to our exclusive image. “You know, every meme, every joke, she was the center of every conversation.”
Hill also said she’s used to hearing rumors about how female journalists get their information.
“If I had a dollar for every time I heard a story about a sports reporter sleeping with a source, a player, a coach, an industry official, I wouldn’t be talking to you guys. I’d be on a beach in Fiji right now,” she joked, adding, “That’s the laziest rumor you can hear about people.”
Hill acknowledged that he did not personally know the details of Russini and Vrabel’s off-field exploits, but said that if the two had a “cozy” relationship, it would be “considered one of the golden rules of journalism that cannot be broken.”
However, Hill believes Russini’s resignation is in no way an “admission of guilt.”
“She probably realized that her ability as a reporter to report on this leak was completely compromised,” she explained. “You know, an early principle that we all learned in journalism is that you never want to be a story.”
Hill and Russini previously worked together at ESPN. They knew each other “socially” and had gone out to dinner and drinks “a few times.”
“We built a little bit of trust and a good relationship,” the sportswriter said.
Hill made the comments earlier this month after Page Six published an exclusive photo of Russini and Vrabel spending the day together, holding hands, at the luxury Ambiente hotel in Sedona, Arizona.
Sources told Us at the time that Russini and Vrabel, both married to other people, had breakfast on the hotel restaurant patio around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, and then spent an hour relaxing by the pool.
Both the sportscaster and the New England Patriots coach claimed he was with other friends, even though he appeared alone in the footage. However, three other witnesses told Page Six that they did not see anyone else with Vrabel and Russini at the hotel.
Russini resigned from his position at The Athletic in a letter to editor-in-chief Stephen Ginsburg earlier this week, which was obtained by Page Six.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career and stand by all of the articles I have published,” the letter said. “When the Page Six article first appeared, The Athletic clearly supported me and expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. I am grateful for that.”
She claimed the “media frenzy” surrounding the photo was “moving at breakneck speed”, ignoring the vetting process.
“The situation continues to escalate due to repeated leaks, and I am unwilling to submit to a public investigation that has already caused more damage than I am willing to accept,” her statement continued.
“Rather than continue this, I have decided to step aside before my current contract expires on June 30th. I do so not because I accept the narrative built around this episode, but because I refuse to give it any more oxygen or let it define me or my career.”
Russini, The Athletic’s senior NFL insider, began working for the outlet in 2021.
