She’s throwing a Hail Mary.
Dianna Russini has enlisted veteran crisis publicist Melissa Nathan to navigate past the Mike Vrabel scandal, a source told Page Six Thursday.
The development comes as the former Athletic reporter prepares a return to work following her abrupt resignation from the outlet in April due to the controversy involving the New England Patriots head coach.
Dianna Russini, shown above at an interview with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel in 2020, has hired veteran publicist Melissa Nathan ahead of her media comeback, Page Six has learned. Dianna Russini/Instagram
Russini, shown above with Vrabel in 2019, continues to deal with the controversy surrounding her personal relationship with the coach, a source told Page Six. Dianna Russini/Instagram
The insider told Page Six that while the parties involved have moved on, the mainstream media hasn’t — and it was time for Russini to seek some outside help to revamp her career.
The decision to team up with Nathan is interesting — not only does she have experience putting out fires for celebrities like Logan Paul, Johnny Depp and Justin Baldoni, but she has also found herself in the headlines as of late.
Nathan is currently in litigation with rival publicist Stephanie Jones over allegations that she orchestrated online smear campaigns during Baldoni and Blake Lively’s “It Ends With Us” saga. Nathan has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The source said all the parties involved in the scandal have moved on, but the media continues to focus on Russini (shown above at the NFL Honors event in 2022). FilmMagic
Russini, shown above during a Super Bowl event in 2025, will return to work this NFL season, a source said. Getty Images for SiriusXM
Russini, who is represented by CAA, left her job after an internal investigation was launched into her relationship with Vrabel.
The Athletic ultimately determined her personal connection to the Super Bowl-winning linebacker violated its newsroom standards because it wasn’t disclosed, but her reporting had not been compromised.
In April, Page Six published images of Russini and the New England Patriots head coach holding hands at a resort in Arizona in late March.
Russini and Vrabel were spotted holding hands at an Arizona resort in March, shown above. © Page SIx
The two, shown in the images obtained by Page Six, denied any wrongdoing, but Russini eventually resigned from The Athletic amid an internal investigation. © Page SIx
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Russini and Vrabel both downplayed the pictures at the time, with the coach calling it a “completely innocent interaction,” while adding that “any suggestion otherwise is laughable.”
Since then, several other instances of the two together surfaced, including a cozy outing at a New York City bar in March 2020, where a source claimed to see them kissing.
“They were kissing and they were all over each other,” an eyewitness told Page Six.
More photos of Russini and Vrabel later surfaced, including a night out in New York City, where an eyewitness claimed they saw the two kiss, Page Six was told. © Page Six
Russini married Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020. They are shown above in a photo posted to the reporter’s social media page. Dianna Russini/Instagram
Russini, 43, and Vrabel, 51, are both married to other people.
Vrabel later took accountability for his actions and the distractions he caused, and left the Patriots during the 2026 NFL Draft to seek counseling.
Russini has yet to directly address the ordeal in public, but has continued to take the brunt of it — notably being blamed for the Patriots’ slow start to the season fresh off a Super Bowl appearance.
Russini will share her side of the scandal upon taking her next job, a source told Page Six. Getty Images
The Athletic determined Russini’s reporting was not impacted by her personal relationship with Vrabel. Getty Images
Page Six was told last month that Russini was weighing several options for her next gig, and a decision would not come prior to Week 1 of the NFL season.
Nearly five weeks later, her future remains unclear, but not due to a lack of interest, the source said.
Page Six reached out to Russini and Nathan for comment.