Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers revived the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel scandal last week during a fiery interview on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Almost four months after photos of the two uncovered their alleged relationship, the controversy has refused to die down even as the NFL season draws closer.
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Recently, ESPN legend Michael Wilbon subtly told viewers to be cautious about trusting the network going forward.
On the “Awful Announcing Podcast,” Wilbon was asked whether fans should trust the network given their recent $3 billion deal with the NFL, which gave the league a 10% equity stake in the network.
“My answer to that philosophically is trust. I wouldn’t go as far as can’t trust; view skeptically,” Wilbon responded.
After ex-ESPN analyst Marcellus Wiley shared a video reacting to Wilbon’s comments, the host of the “Bears Yard” podcast chimed in and theorized that the network’s silence on the Russini-Vrabel scandal could be a result of ESPN’s business ties to the league.
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“I mean that has been made even more obvious with the (Dianna) Russini/Mike Vrabel coverup or wall of silence,” the host wrote.
Fans and analysts have criticized ESPN for its silence on the Russini-Vrabel controversy. However, Rodgers is the highest-profile person to speak out against the network… on their own airwaves.
“Look at what the network’s doing. You have literally an individual that maybe used to work at ESPN, that covers our league at the highest level, and there’s a major scandal,” Rodgers said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “And it’s just like nobody can [expletive] talk about it? Like, what are we doing here? … How much time did the network spend on that? How much time do they spend on my responses every week? On my vaccination status, on Taylor [Swift] and Travis [Kelce’s] wedding? Did they do even a minute?”
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After Russini’s alleged relationship with Vrabel was uncovered in April, additional photos and videos surfaced, with some dating as far back as 2020 when Vrabel was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans and Russini worked at ESPN.
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Russini resigned from her job at The Athletic in April. The Patriots have stood by Vrabel, even after he missed Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft to attend counseling sessions with his family. The NFL didn’t open an investigation into Vrabel, deeming this a personal matter. However, Russini’s reporting is under internal investigation by The Athletic.
Two months ago, The Athletic’s executive editor Steven Ginsberg stated that the investigation would take “a few more weeks.” However, the internal probe is still ongoing, and it’s unclear when the outlet will wrap up the investigation and release its findings.
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In June, Russini was the subject of an explosive tell-all article by the New York Times, the company that owns The Athletic.
The report painted Russini in a poor light, but the saga has slowly quieted down after previously becoming a tabloid circus.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
