Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Dianna Russini’s alleged affair with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has sparked an entire recontextualization of her past reporting. Now Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton is being named as someone who could be in the “Russini files.”
An old clip from one of Dianna Russini’s appearances on The Bill Simmons Podcast in which she discusses her relationship with former New Orleans Saints and current Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has resurfaced and is raising questions about the dynamic between the pair.
Resurfaced clip of Dianna Russini discussing her dynamic with Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has NFL fans speculating about their relationship
“Even this summer, coach [Payton] reached out to me a few times, checking in, and I missed the call… and he just left a voicemail. I’ve got to see if I still have it. He said, ‘I love my Q [quarterback]’. Who does that? So when I saw him, I asked what’s going on, and he said: ‘Di, I just love this team,'” Russini told Bill Simmons on his podcast.
Can we get a body language doctor on this 🧐 pic.twitter.com/cHJq1yEOsW
— The r/BillSimmons Podcast (@rBillSimmonsPod) April 25, 2026
Given the developing alleged affair scandal between Russini and Mike Vrabel, NFL fans were quick to raise their eyebrows and crack jokes about Russini’s comments about Payton.
How many NFL HCs were getting a little Pussini? 😂 😭 https://t.co/fLSS9JPMhs
— Dijami (@IamDijami) April 26, 2026
Sean Payton probably had them toes over his shoulders too. #DirtyDianna https://t.co/RTBD2fFU0g
— Apex Jones (@apexjones22) April 26, 2026
I wish I knew what the private tweet was in response to but I have a good idea that she was asked who her coaches of the year were. By 12/1/2025, her top coach of the year was Ben Johnson. He finished w/ ONE 1st place vote 🤔 Russini changed her tune 3 weeks later for Sean Payton https://t.co/G4PGBwp6o5 pic.twitter.com/SwUbfIAuAj
— Chase Snyder (@ChasingSnyder) April 19, 2026
Following the publication of pictures of Russini and Vrabel canoodling at a private Arizona resort earlier this month, the scandal exploded last week after additional photos of the pair at a bar in 2020 were made public. Vrabel addressed the media the day of the NFL Draft and announced that he would be checking into “counseling.”
Meanwhile, reports out of New England indicate that Vrabel has lost his “swagger” since the scandal broke, sparking speculation that he may ever be the same head coach again after this PR and personal life debacle. Russini, meanwhile, resigned from The Athletic and deleted her Twitter/X account.