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Dianna Russini’s debut of “The Russini Report” on Wednesday had head-scratching moments and a cringeworthy mention of Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.
Many were critical of the BetUS NFL analyst — who returned to the airwaves after resigning from The Athletic following her and Vrabel’s photo scandal in the spring — because she didn’t address the situation or credibility concerns.
Russini drew the ire of others who were looking for post-trade deadline news and an NFL scoop.
“Big mistake to dance around the elephant in the room,” sports media personality Robin Lundberg wrote on X. “She should have addressed it head on and moved on.”
At one point, the 43-year-old Russini discussed being trolled online over the scandal with memes and looked uncomfortable when Damon Amendolara, a guest on the show, brought up Vrabel.
“What in the actual f–k??” Jimmy Traina wrote, including a clip of the meme moment, on X.
“Social media was not having it,” sports betting personality Kelly Stewart said on the “On Tilt” show. “You cannot just take a little bit of accountability..You just come back and think you’re going to brush it under the rug and not expect social media to absolutely bodybag you on day one is a little rich.”
The one-hour show, which pulled in a “record-breaking audience,” premiered nearly an hour late after its noon start time due to technical difficulties.
“Well… you broke it. 😅” an X post from “The Russini Report” said.
The website experienced an error and displayed a message that read, “Sorry we’ll be back soon. Please try again later.”
In her first column for BetUS, Russini explained that her time away from football made her realize how obsessed she is with the game.
Russini officially announced her return to sports media in an interview with People published on Monday. The New Jersey native did not address the scandal in the interview.
The former ESPNer explained to People she wasn’t scared to return to sports media because of the support she’s received from those around the NFL, including players, GMs, owners, coaches and agents.
Russini will also be a featured contributor on the “Nobody’s Safe” podcast with host Jon Weiner, popularly known as “Stugotz.”
Page Six broke the story and published photos on April 7 showing the pair, who are both married, holding hands while at a resort in Arizona in March.
The outlet published more photos of them together at Tribeca Tavern in the early hours of March 11, 2020.
In September, The Athletic published the findings of its nearly five-month probe into Russini’s relationship with Vrabel and said she was “noncompliant” with the New York Times-owned company’s standards.
