Dianna Russini was offered a new job after she resigned from the Athletic over her photo scandal with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.
Jon “Stugotz” Weiner addressed the head-turning snaps on his “Stugotz & Company” podcast on Friday, saying that his pal can work for him when she’s ready.
“I did say if the Athletic fired her, I would hire her,” he said. “They didn’t fire her. She stepped down from the Athletic, and the offer holds forever.”
“If Dianna Russini decides one day, three months from now, a year from now, two years from now, that she wants to get back into this game, she has a place right here,” Weiner added.
The podcast host clarified that he was “not apologizing” or acting as a “mouthpiece” for Russini, telling the audience, “I am simply saying, it’s her story to tell, it’s not my story, and I am simply going to support my friend.”
Weiner shared that he has been supportive of Russini, 43, as a friend and wouldn’t be sharing the details she had confided in him.
“I’m not a journalist, I’m a talk show host,” he continued. “And when my real friends fall on some difficult times, I like to support my friends and talk to them and be someone that listens.
“Not talks, listens. This is her story to share when she feels like sharing it. It is not me.”
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” she wrote in her resignation letter.
“In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts,” Vrabel added, claiming that she was choosing to step away to halt speculation.
Ahead of Russini’s resignation, she was sidelined by the outlet amid an investigation, a source previously told us.
Vrabel and Russini, who are both married to other people, previously denied any wrongdoing, insisting that they were at the resort with other friends who weren’t visible in the photos.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response,” Vrabel added in a separate statement.
While Russini later resigned from her position, Vrabel stepped away from Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft to seek counseling and focus on his family.
When the snaps were released, Russini deleted her X account and put her Instagram profile on private.
