Stephen A. Smith Refutes Dianna Russini’s Claims Of Sexism Post Exit From The Athletic, ‘I Don’t…’

With each new story, Dianna Russini remains in the headlines, and it seems the buzz surrounding her and Mike Vrabel dying down won’t happen anytime soon. Netizens have been bashing the longtime NFL reporter, ever since Page Six released a set of photos which showed her engaging in alleged PDA, like holding hands and hugging, with the New England Patriots head coach, Mike Vrabel. The photos were reportedly taken on March 28, 2026, in a luxury resort in Sedona, Arizona, but were made public a few days later, on April 7, 2026.

After the hate train directed at her forced Dianna to resign from her job at The Athletic, she claimed that the reaction to her photos with Mike was sexist. Now, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith refuted her claim. 

Stephen A. Smith says misogyny does not apply to Dianna Russini’s photo controversy 

According to Awful Announcing, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently spoke out about the current hot topic in sports, Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel’s alleged affair. During an episode of his SiriusXM and Mad Dog Sports show, Stephen disregarded Dianna’s initial claims that the reaction to her photos was ‘sexist,’ saying, “I don’t think misogyny applies to this case.” Stephen did not stop here. He added:

“The fact of the matter is, he’s the head coach of an NFL team. She’s a reporter. The onus is on her to make sure her objectivity is not skewed in any way. Now, I give her the benefit of the doubt. She worked at ESPN for 10 years as my colleague. She’s a wonderful person, she’s a damn good reporter, I respect the hell out of her, and I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt.”

Stephen claimed that if Dianna says that the stuff (that is, her having an inappropriate relationship with the Patriots’ head coach) isn’t true, he’s going to believe her until further evidence comes up to prove the contrary. Despite this, he said, “When you know you are a reporter, and this is a head coach of an NFL team, and you cover the NFL, you can’t put yourself in that position.” 

Dianna Russini accused the reaction to her photos of being sexist in nature

According to a recent report by ESPN media insider, Ben Strauss, Dianna Russini has apparently accused the reaction to her photos with Mike Vrabel of being a “sexist attack on a female reporter in a male-dominated field.” As per the same report, Dianna’s employer, The Athletic, had been pushing her to provide some evidence which would prove that she was indeed at the Arizona resort with a bunch of her friends and not just with Mike, as she had previously claimed. However, it seems like Dianna has failed to provide said proof. Ben Strauss stated:

“While The Athletic had been quick to rush to her defence ahead of the story, now executives asked for more evidence from Russini, such as text messages about an airport pickup, screenshots of planning the trip or photos from a hike, the three people said. They said Russini never provided sufficient evidence. On Friday, April 10, ESPN reported that The Athletic had launched an investigation into her NFL coverage and the nature of her relationship with Vrabel, and a person familiar with the matter told ESPN that she would not be reporting during that process.”

What are your thoughts on ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith saying that the reaction to Dianna Russini’s photos with Mike Vrabel is not misogynistic? Let us know. 

Also read: Will Dianna Russini Face New Troubles? Mike Vrabel’s Head Coach Of The Year Win Raises Questions