Dianna Russini’s new show opened with a laugh, then hit a nerve the second Mike Vrabel’s name entered the conversation.
On the first episode of The Russini Report, former NFL insider Dianna Russini was talking memes with guest Damon Amendolara when the Patriots coach came up, and the mood shifted fast. Amendolara asked if she had “seen any good memes lately.” Russini said she had been amused by the way she’s been portrayed in AI-generated versions of herself.
“A lot of memes out there, D. Thank you for reminding me,” she said.
“I will say, though, I do think the AI version of me is like an L.A. 10.
That is the way I want to look, my nose is small, my forehead only looks three fingers. I’m like, ‘This is what I want to look like.’”
Amendolara then brought up the meme that had Patriots players, Vrabel and Russini in an AI version of NPR’s “Tiny Desk.” He told her, “To have Vrabel and Patriots playing, outstanding, and then the big reveal having you on sax, was amazing,” adding, “That to me was peak apex Dianna Russini and this whole thing with the memes.”
Russini paused and appeared to wince or frown at the mention of Vrabel’s name, but she still answered the music question by saying that after actually playing saxophone in grade school, “if I had to do an instrument, that was the one I should be playing.”
The awkward moment landed against a backdrop that has followed both Russini and Vrabel for much of the year. Russini has faced allegations of an affair with Vrabel after the two were spotted together in multiple locations over several years. Both are married with children, and the photos of them together go back to Vrabel’s time as head coach of the Tennessee Titans.
Russini addressed the fallout in a recent interview with People, describing the last six months as devastating. “The best way to describe what the last six months were like for me is heartbreaking,” she said.
“The lies became so out of control,” she added. “This was a runaway train, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.
Once we realized nothing was going to stop this, it became unhealthy for [my husband and I] to read it because it wasn’t helping us heal. It was piling on and adding to what we were already dealing with.”
As the Patriots keep sorting through an uneven season - one that included last weekend’s blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers - Russini is trying to move into a new chapter of her own. Her new show marks her biggest step since leaving The Athletic.
In Other News...
CeeDee Lamb Knows What Could Derail Cowboys Against The 49ers
CeeDee Lamb is already looking past the relief of Dallas close win over the Indianapolis Colts and toward the kind of matchup that tends to expose a teams weak spots. With the 49ers coming to Arlington on Sunday afternoon, the Cowboys are staring at a meeting with the NFCs top seed and a roster that has only gotten more dangerous after adding wide receiver Keenan Allen.
For Lamb, the biggest concern is not Xs and Os so much as the emotional edge that can creep in after a big result or a big stage. The Cowboys have spent enough time around high-pressure games to know how quickly a rivalry-caliber matchup can turn if the focus slips, and this one arrives with plenty at stake for a team trying to keep its footing against one of the conferences most complete opponents. [Read more 🡒]
Dak Prescott Knows What Sunday Means For The Cowboys
Dak Prescott did not need to be reminded what Sunday means for the Cowboys. The 49ers have been a stubborn roadblock for Dallas, with the Cowboys dropping their last four matchups against San Francisco, including two playoff meetings, and the recent history has only sharpened the attention around this Week 10 showdown at AT&T Stadium.
Prescott spoke to reporters with the focus squarely on ending that stretch against a 7-1 San Francisco team that has looked the part of a contender. For Dallas, the timing makes the game feel bigger than a regular-season test, and the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff gives the Cowboys a chance to answer a familiar challenge on their home field. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Fans Suddenly Have A Jason Witten Coaching Debate
Jason Wittens first college coaching win at Oklahoma gave Cowboys fans something unexpected to chew on, and it had nothing to do with the current roster. Working as the Sooners interim offensive coordinator, Witten picked up his first victory in that role, and the result was enough to spark a familiar kind of Dallas conversation: what if the former tight end eventually comes back home in a bigger way?
Bob Sturm floated Witten as a possible name for a future Cowboys coaching opening, putting him on a short list to replace Brian Schottenheimer if the season keeps sliding. With Dallas sitting at 4-5 and the coaching situation already feeling shaky, the idea has a way of hanging around even if it is still more debate than decision. [Read more 🡒]