Fantasy football analyst Matthew Berry isn’t ruling out bringing former colleague Dianna Russini into his growing media company. Speaking on OutKick, the “Fantasy Life” founder addressed whether he’d consider hiring the veteran NFL reporter, who has stayed out of sports media since she resigned from The Athletic earlier this year.

“It’s a great question. I like Dianna a lot,” Berry said on the podcast. “I will say this: I consider Dianna a friend. And I think she’s really, really talented and good on air.”

Berry and Russini already know each other from their ESPN days. Berry worked there for 15 years, while Russini built her name as an NFL reporter before moving to The Athletic in 2023. Berry said he had Russini appear on several of his programs and saw firsthand how she handled the demands of television.

“She always came prepared, energetic,” Berry said. “She was nice to all the producers. Showed up on time, prepared, gave a great performance. Whatever we needed.”

Dianna Russini’s potential fit at Fantasy Life, though, is not as straightforward as simply bringing another NFL reporter onto the team. Her career has largely centered on reporting league news.

Fantasy Life has grown into a much broader operation since Berry founded it. The company offers rankings, waiver-wire advice, start/sit recommendations, trade tools, and other products. It also produces year-round NFL and fantasy football programming.

Berry therefore said the question would come down to whether Russini could contribute to that business.

“So, you know, the question would become, can we afford her? What is she going to do for the company? Because we don’t really break news.

“If she was working at Fantasy Life, she would be providing content that would help people win their fantasy leagues, not necessarily what she did at ESPN or The Athletic,” he said.

The company has been expanding in that direction. Fantasy Life raised $7 million in a 2025 seed round and has continued adding products and distribution, including a new FAST channel that launched on Amazon Fire TV this month.

The timing makes the discussion particularly notable for Dianna Russini. She resigned from The Athletic in April after photographs of her with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at an Arizona resort led to an internal review at the outlet. Russini has not publicly announced another full-time sports media position since leaving.

Berry did not attempt to judge Russini on that situation. Instead, he said he would approach Russini the same way he would evaluate any potential addition to his company, focusing on whether the person fits the team and can create value for the business.

For now, there is no announcement that Russini is joining Fantasy Life, and Berry stopped short of saying the company has formally offered her a position. Still, his comments make it clear that he sees a possible place for her if the role, finances, and business goals line up.