New York Times sports journalist Dianna Russini is known for her long career covering the NFL.
Russini made headlines after Page Six exclusively obtained photos of her and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at the Ambiente Sedona hotel in Arizona on March 28.
Vrabel told Page Six the photos were “a completely innocent interaction,” while Russini said they “don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day.”
Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of the Athletic, added the photos are “misleading.”
The journalist, who has a long professional history with the NFL coach, once said the key to her success was to be “relentless” in pursuing one’s goals.
“I think, when I look at the times that I really took a step forward, I always was uncomfortable,” she said in an interview earlier this year, adding that she “just kept going.”
“I didn’t let anyone stop me,” she declared.
Below, here’s everything you need to know about Russini, her high-profile career, and her personal background.
She works at the Athletic
Russini is employed as a senior NFL Insider for the Athletic, which is owned by the New York Times.
The former athlete joined the Athletic in August 2023 after leaving ESPN. She contributes to video and audio projects for the outlet and leads breaking news coverage.
According to NBC Sports, she is one of the highest paid writers for the site, likely making more than NYT vets Maggie Haberman or David Brooks.
“It wasn’t a situation where ESPN didn’t want me. I love ESPN. They’ve given me so much opportunity and the people I’ve worked with were incredible. It was a really difficult decision for me, for my family. But it really came down to recognizing at ESPN I wasn’t going to change roles,” she said at the time.
“There was no elevation there for me based on my conversations with the company. They did not have a vision outside of what I currently do. The Athletic, through conversations I had with all the people in charge, just has an endless amount of roles and ideas for me. They want information. They want a storyteller. They want someone with personality.”
She added, “Once I realized they were pretty much handing me over a blank sheet of paper that basically just said go be who you want to be, I realized that this could change my life. The Athletic showed that they value me more than ESPN, for sure.”
Previous workplaces
The reporter previously worked at ESPN as an NFL Insider and reporter for eight years. During her time on the iconic sports network, she appeared on “SportsCenter,” “NFL Live,” “Sunday NFL Countdown” and “Get Up.”
At ESPN, she conducting high-profile interviews covered the league as a senior reporter, and specialized in breaking sports news.
At the outset of her journalism career, Russini was the youngest reporter hired at WNBC in New York City. She moved on to Seattle, where she became a sports anchor and reporter for Comcast SportsNet Northwest (CSN Northwest).
Russini also worked at News 12 Westchester, as well as NBC affiliates WVIT in Connecticut, and WRC-TV in Washington, DC.
Her NFL podcast
In addition to extensive coverage in the Athletic, Russini co-hosts the Spotify podcast “Scoop City: Inside the NFL,” alongside insider James Palmer and former quarterback Chase Daniel.
According to an official overview, the podcast “brings unmatched access and expert analysis” on the league and “behind-the-scenes scoops to deep dives on the biggest NFL stories.”
The podcast — which debuted in July 2024 — drops new episodes Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and promises to be the “intel every fan needs.”
She’s married to Kevin Goldschmidt
Russini married Kevin Goldschmidt on Sept. 26, 2020, in an intimate ceremony during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They reportedly began dating in 2015, according to the Sun, and kept the relationship from the public eye until their 2020 engagement.
Goldschmidt, a Penn State alum, is the vice president of total rewards and HR technology at Shake Shack, per the outlet.
On their two-year anniversary, she posted a throwback snap from their wedding, writing, “2 years today was the best day of my life — when I married Kev in front of our family and dozens of friends over zoom!”
She added, “It’s you and only you, for me, forever.”
She’s a mother of two
The journalist is a mother to two sons with Goldschmidt. The couple welcomed Michael Andrew in August 2021 and Joseph “Joey” Kevin in October 2022.
She wrote in an Instagram post after the birth of her second child that she felt “beyond lucky and blessed.”
“I want to feel young again. These kids have worn me down,” she joked during a February appearance on the “Dan Patrick Show.”
“I’ve aged 15 years in a span of four years.” She also joked that having two young sons just a year apart was like “having twins.”
She’s from New Jersey
Russini was born in The Bronx and raised in Norwood, New Jersey, by supportive parents Camille and Rick Russini.
She’s been known to hilariously channel her “Jersey mother” Camille while answering NFL questions on ESPN.
Russini trolled herself on the “Dan Le Batard Show” in the voice of her mother, joking, “As for my daughter — she’ll be on ‘GMA’ one day, and then I’ll think she’s a success story.”
What is her past experience in sports?
The reporter was All-State in basketball, softball, soccer and track at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan in New Jersey.
In a 2017 interview with USA Today High School Sports, she admitted that while she was also skilled in soccer, it “wasn’t [her] best sport in high school; track was.”
She played soccer for four seasons at George Mason University in Virginia.
She said during the interview that her biggest lesson in competitive sports was, “You’re going to lose. You’re going to lose at life, too. You’re also going to win, and you cannot become a victim of that moment.”
