Dianna Russini
ON THE RECORD · 8 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“At the beginning of this, it was a nightmare.”
Dianna Russini · said 2026-11-09 · reported 2026-11-09
Russini described the events of the spring surrounding her resignation from the Athletic to People magazine.
“I have an understanding and an empathy that I didn’t have before. I would do stories in the past at the best of my ability, and sometimes now I reflect on those, and I don’t know if I always thought about how much this would affect not just the player, but a team, an organization, the players’ families.”
Dianna Russini · said 2026-11-09 · reported 2026-11-09
Russini told People magazine she now has greater empathy for how stories affect players, teams, organizations, and families.
“The absolute best part of this situation has been the loyalty the NFL has shown me,”
Dianna Russini · said 2026-11-09 · reported 2026-11-09
Russini told People magazine about the support she received from NFL players, coaches, and others after her resignation.
“The way I’m going to approach stories is going to be very different now,”
Dianna Russini · said 2026-11-09 · reported 2026-11-09
Russini told People magazine how her approach to reporting stories would change going forward.
“along with a lot of my opinions”
Dianna Russini · said 2026-11-09 · reported 2026-11-09
Russini described what her new BetUS-backed show would include.
“something I wasn’t really allowed to do before.”
Dianna Russini · said 2026-11-09 · reported 2026-11-09
Russini described sharing her opinions as something she was not previously allowed to do at the Athletic.
“The best way to describe what the last six months were like for me is heartbreaking,”
Dianna Russini · said 2026-11-09 · reported 2026-11-09
Russini described the events of the spring surrounding her resignation from the Athletic to People magazine.
“They checked in with me almost daily while I wasn’t working to make sure that I was staying connected to football, to check on me as a person and to just see how I was doing.”
Dianna Russini · said 2026-11-09 · reported 2026-11-09
Russini told People magazine about the support she received from NFL players, coaches, and others after her resignation.