‘I Think She Will Be Back’ — Dianna Russini’s Ex-Colleague Misses Her ‘Elite’ NFL Reporting After Mike Vrabel Controversy

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There are NFL reporters who know the transactions, and then there are reporters who seem to know half the league before breakfast. Mike Silver believes Dianna Russini belonged firmly in the second group.

Silver, who worked alongside Russini at The Athletic, said this week that he misses both the collaboration and the level of access she brought to their coverage. Four months after Russini resigned during the fallout from published photos involving New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, Silver also predicted she would eventually return to football media.

Mike Silver Says Russini Was Operating at an ‘Elite’ Level

“She was, you know, I don’t think people understand the level of elite that she was performing at,” Silver said on “The Tom Tolbert Show.”

His praise centered on the daily work behind the scoops. Silver said Russini stayed in touch not only with agents but with “players, coaches, owners, all of it,” and had real conversations with influential people around the league every day.

“Really, really proud of the journalism we did together,” Silver added. “Honestly, just really bummed that we don’t get to continue it because we worked really well together… I do miss having her a lot.”

That partnership ended in April. Russini resigned from The Athletic after photos of her and Vrabel at an Arizona resort were published by Page Six, prompting the outlet to open an internal review.

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Russini and Vrabel both denied impropriety and said the images lacked the context of a larger group gathering. In her resignation statement, Russini stood by her reporting and criticized what she called speculation “unmoored from the facts.”

Silver did not try to relitigate that part of the story. He said he was not interested in commenting on “tabloid crap,” while making clear that his opinion of Russini’s journalism had not changed.

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Silver Predicts Russini Will Return to Football Media

“She’s doing a lot better and her family’s doing well,” Silver said. “I do think she’s going to be back.”

He does not expect that comeback to begin with the same job description.

“Probably not as an insider, at least in the short term,” Silver added. “But I think she’ll be back in this realm, probably talking about football and other things pretty soon.”

Silver also pushed back on the idea that the controversy uniquely made NFL reporting harder for women. His argument was that women covering men’s professional sports were already navigating difficult professional dynamics long before this episode, and he praised those who have continued succeeding in that environment.

The NFL itself said in April that it was not investigating Vrabel over the matter. The Athletic, meanwhile, said Russini resigned while its review was still ongoing.

Silver’s point was narrower than a verdict on everything that happened. He worked next to Russini, watched how she sourced the league, and came away convinced that one of football media’s most connected reporters still has another act coming.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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