Stephen A. Smith dismisses misogyny from Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel coverage: ‘The onus is on her’

Stephen A. Smith might not believe Dianna Russini did anything wrong with Mike Vrabel, but he also doesn’t believe she’s a victim of misogyny.

Russini resigned from  The Athletic last week in the aftermath of Page Six publishing photos of the NFL insider poolside at an adults-only hotel with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. Since the photos were published, the fallout has been noticeably different for Russini than for Vrabel. Russini lost her job after previous comments and actions were scrutinized, while Vrabel has been more of a sidenote to the story. But according to Smith, the difference has nothing to do with misogyny and everything to do with the nature of their jobs.

“I don’t think misogyny applies in this particular case,” Smith insisted on a recent episode of his SiriusXM and Mad Dog Sports Radio show. “The fact of the matter is, he’s the head coach of an NFL team. She’s a reporter. The onus is on her to make sure her objectivity is not skewed in any way. Now, I give her the benefit of the doubt. She worked at ESPN for 10 years as my colleague. She’s a wonderful person, she’s a damn good reporter, I respect the hell out of her, and I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt.

“If she says this stuff isn’t true, I’m gonna believe her until further evidence to the contrary is provided. Having said that, it still didn’t stop me from saying that when you know that you are a reporter and this is a head coach of an NFL team and you cover the NFL, you can’t put yourself in that position.”

Smith said Vrabel may have compromised his marriage, but in terms of his relationship with the Patriots or the NFL, he didn’t compromise anything. Russini, however, compromised her role as a journalist. And according to Smith, the same would be true if it were a male reporter who was caught in similar photos with a woman they had the responsibility of covering as a journalist.

“That’s on the reporter,” Smith explained. “That’s about the position, that’s not about gender. So, in this particular instance, misogyny doesn’t apply.”

Journalistic integrity concerns are why Russini’s job with The Athletic was immediately at risk after Page Six published the photos in question, while Vrabel’s position as head coach of the New England Patriots has never been in jeopardy throughout this story. But the double standard and misogyny concerns exist in the way Russini has seen her history scrutinized in recent weeks, while no one really cares much about anything Vrabel may have said or done previously.