On Thursday, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini published a story alongside Joe Rexrode detailing what led to the Tennessee Titans’ decision to fire Mike Vrabel.
With sourcing from “nearly a dozen prominent people inside and outside the organization,” it’s the definitive story on what is already one of the most surprising transactions of the NFL offseason.
But while Russini’s reporting would have been noteworthy under any circumstance, it’s made even more impressive when considering that she obtained most of her information while also caring for two sick babies. Appearing on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Wednesday, the former ESPN reporter detailed her hectic week from both a professional and personal standpoint.
“There was a really big story that broke and my sons are both sick, so they’re home with me,” Russini said, referring to Vrabel’s firing. “And my parents are also sick so they couldn’t help. And I had to put a two-year-old and a one-year-old in a playpen, which if anyone has small children, putting two young boys in a playpen that’s maybe five-feet wide isn’t safe, it’s not smart and after a while they’re gonna start beating the hell out of each other. And that’s what happened. And I got the story and that’s all that matters, guys.”
Russini further explained the difficulties she faces being one of the top NFL insiders while also being the mother of two toddlers.
“You don’t know when news is going to break,” she said. “So you have to quickly make decisions and obviously the priority is the the safety of your children, right? So you have to go, ‘What is the best position, situation I can put them in while this is all happening?’… I was on the phone with Derrick [Henry] actually when the story broke and he was calling me to see if I knew anything and I said I don’t and then I got the text and I just put the phone down, I said, ‘Just sit there, I have to tweet.’ In the room next to me, my boys were watching this show called Ms. Rachel and if you have a toddler you know what Ms. Rachel is and she’s going through the alphabet — by the way that sound is also distracting and annoying.
“I don’t know when [her son] Joey’s going to cry and sometimes he cries when I’m on the phone with people and it happened the other day and the person I was on the phone with was giving me really good information that I’m going to probably want to use on Thursday or Friday of this week. You have to laugh. Like I can’t believe this is my life. I’m going to be part of a really big news cycle right now while my one-year-old’s screaming his head off because he just wants his bottle that fell under the table. Like just go get it. He’s also not walking, he’s 15 months. That’s another issue we’re dealing with.”
Russini made it clear that she knows her situation is not unique and is something that any parent with young kids can likely relate to. She also credited her husband for being so understanding, especially since he’s the one who typically bears the brunt of her frustration.
Still, Russini’s job is more unique and high profile than most and the idea of her being on the phone with one of the NFL’s best running backs as massive news breaks while also caring for two toddlers paints quite the visual. It also makes it all the more impressive that the New Jersey native has transitioned so seamlessly from ESPN to The Athletic, where she has further established her reputation as one of the league’s top insiders.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.