The New England Patriots head coach, Mike Vrabel, and the former ESPN anchor, Dianna Russini, caused quite an uproar in the NFL world. Back in April, Page Six revealed that onlookers spotted the two holding hands and hugging at a luxurious Arizona hotel. That led to some serious repercussions. For starters, the NFL coaches beyond New England came under surveillance. It also became a hurdle for the female reporters to properly interact with NFL players or coaches without them being overly cautious.  

On an episode of The Sports Gossip Show with hosts Charlotte Wilder and Madeline Hill on September 8, Wilder asked the guest, ESPN’s Mina Kimes, to weigh in on the controversy. And Kimes opened up about how female reporters are now navigating their jobs a bit differently. 

“I think it reflects sort of a broader thing that happens in any industry, which is when someone who’s not in the majority makes any sort of error, it becomes a referendum for their entire class,” Kimes said. “And I think that’s just kind of what’s happening here, in a number of ways, not even just in terms of like, what it means for how female reporters in football are perceived or treated, which is what the story gets into. 

“And I feel for the reporters. Reading the article and reading some of those accounts, like the idea that it has made their jobs harder or perception of them worse, that s–ks. I’m being not a reporter, and being an analyst. I’m not really as like privy to that, because I’m not meeting with coaches and needing sources the same way that they are and concerned about that. But I think that is really unfortunate to hear that’s happening. I feel bad for them.”

Kimes didn’t really name any other specific insiders or their contract breaches. Regardless of public opinion, NFL stars and reporters apparently avoid meeting one-on-one, even for standard interview sessions.

“Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic’s standards,” The Athletic’s report read. “Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed. I’ve not found a clear link to conclude that Russini used her platform to help promote Vrabel or help his teams during her time at The Athletic.”

According to Wilder, with more voices rising around the tabloid story, the scandal also revealed a double standard. She claimed that blaming one woman for her mistake and saying that she “ruined it for everybody else” was wrong. Kimes even further noted that male reporters don’t have to face such scrutiny. 

“Giving license to male sports fans generally to speak about them a certain way, or to honestly talk about this story in a way that they don’t with other stories involving lapses in journalism. It’s been interesting to watch on the Russini side of it, this massive conversation on the internet about ‘This is a crime against journalism, and no one’s talking about it.’ Bad look. F—ed up. I think we all agree. But it’s kind of hard to take those critiques in good faith when these aren’t people who actually care about journalism. They’re not applying those standards to things that other insiders do, perhaps. So, it kinda just s–ks for everyone involved, I think.”

Meanwhile, the scandal affected Vrabel’s locker room too. Speaking to the players, he claimed that he never wanted his actions to “negatively affect the team” or be a “distraction” to the players. On the other hand, Russini has maintained a low profile since then.