Big Cat doesn’t see Dianna Russini joining Barstool but ‘there is a second act somewhere for her’

Dianna Russini’s time as a top-tier NFL insider is almost certainly over, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t many opportunities out there for her “second act.”

It’s barely been a week since Russini resigned from her role as senior NFL insider at The Athletic amid an internal investigation around her relationship with New England Patriots Mike Vrabel, whom she was photographed with at an Arizona resort several months back.

The controversy surrounding her and Vrabel’s apparant relationship is still evolving as new photos and details continue to emerge. While the football coach is likely to come out of all this professionally unscathed (so long as the Patriots keep winning), Russini will have to figure out where her career goes from here.

While it’s fair to say that her reporting credibility has taken a significant hit, there are ample opportunities available to someone of her notoriety and with her industry connections, and there will be demand for her side of the story when she eventually wants to share it.

Some have speculated that Russini might end up with Barstool Sports in some capacity, as she’s made frequent appearances on their shows and has strong relationships with their top talent. One of those people, Dan “Big Cat” Katz, isn’t so sure the longtime NFL reporter would end up under their banner, but he has no doubt that she’ll have a successful second act when ready.

“I would be shocked if that was it for her.”@BarstoolBigCat believes there’s nothing stopping Dianna Russini from continuing and succeeding in her sports media career “in a time now where you can be independent.” pic.twitter.com/aUeWmlZ9x2

— Front Office Sports News (@FOS_News_) April 25, 2026

“I don’t know if she’d want to work with us,” Katz told Front Office Sports. “Because we’ve made some jokes, and I totally understand, but we have to make the jokes that we make. It sucks that she had to leave her job. I think a lot of it was her own doing.

“But we’re in a time now where you can be independant. She can start a Substack. She can start her own podcast. And if you are someone who has an audience or can break news, people will follow that. So, there is a second act somewhere for her. I don’t know exactly what it looks like. There’s just too many avenues that people can take, especially the independant route, and make a good living in the sports world, that I would be shocked if that was it for her.”

Katz is absolutely right. People who have done far worse than what Russini and Vrabel allegedly did have been able to resurface and reboot their careers. There’s a well-worn path for people looking for a redemption arc and second-act career that she can walk. Presumably, it starts with a sit-down interview on a notable network, coupled with the launch of a podcast where she tells her side of the story, and then whatever media venture Russini wants to pursue, be it in sports media, pop culture, or otherwise.