Add The New York Post on Google Aaron Rodgers, sports media critic?
The 10-time Pro Bowl quarterback sure played the part when he made an appearance on Steelers teammate Cameron Heyward’s “Not Just Football” podcast this week. Rodgers had a bone to pick with ESPN, which he feels did not give enough coverage to the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel drama of the offseason.
Russini, the former NFL insider for The Athletic, and Vrabel, the head coach of the Patriots, in photos first reported by Page Six, were seen getting cozy together at an Arizona resort before more photos of different instances of the two emerged, including some that appeared to show the pair kissing in New York in 2020.
Russini, who previously worked at ESPN as an anchor and NFL reporter, resigned from The Athletic as the New York Times-owned sports outlet investigated her coverage.
A frequent guest of “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN, Rodgers called the network gutless for how it has covered — on in his mind, hasn’t covered — the situation with reporter and coach.
“ESPN is really scared,” Rodgers asserted. “Because I can speak up and speak my mind. And that McAfee thing rattled their feathers because I didn’t just say that on McAfee’s show — honestly, I love Pat, and he’s done more for that network than any other horrible show they have on there — they should pay those guys doing it.
“But I also said, ‘You’re a gutless organization,’ because they haven’t said anything. They spend so much time on certain issues, but you won’t talk one second about the Danny Russini situation?”
Mike Vrabel and reporter Dianna Russini on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020. Dianna Russini/Instagram Rodgers said ESPN has spent more time covering the arrest of 49ers CEO Jed York over his alleged solicitation of a prostitute in Ohio at the end of August.
“When you click on ESPN.com, they will rotate the 8 stories or whatever they have, but they usually have the one story that’s featured. That was the featured story,” Rodgers said of the York story. “So you’re bringing how many millions of eyes to that situation? Why do you want to throw Jed York under the bus? I don’t know.
“But does that have the same effect as a reporter who has intimate relations with a coach who has a vote for MVP, has a vote for Coach of the Year?… The fact that ESPN spent zero time on that story, but Jed York gets popped in San Fran, it’s literally on the top of their roll right now. That’s hypocrisy.”
Aaron Rodgers stands for the national anthem before the Steelers’ AFC wild-card playoff loss to the Texans at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Jan. 12, 2026. Getty Images At the end of April, ESPN’s Ben Strauss did write a lengthy feature on the Vrabel-Russini saga (up to that point).
Four days ago, the Worldwide Leader also ran a piece on Vrabel emerging from the scandal.
Rodgers, however, doesn’t think ESPN has gone far enough to cover the story that has dominated headlines elsewhere. But he believes the situation goes deeper.
“I think there’s a lot more to it,” Rodgers responded. “The NFL is going to protect the shield, and I respect that. But they’re gonna do by all means necessary.”
