ESPN Makes Its First Public Joke About The Dianna Russini Situation
ESPN's "Inside the NBA" is joking publicly about the Mike Vrabel, Dianna Russini situation.
Russini, who used to work at ESPN, resigned from her position at The Athletic last month, after photos surfaced of the NFL insider with the head coach at an adults-only resort in Arizona.
"Over a career spanning more than fifteen years in sports journalism - at NBC, ESPN, and The Athletic - I have built a body of work I am proud of. I have broken stories, earned the trust of sources across the league, and been guided by the highest standards of professional conduct. That record speaks for itself," she said.
"I remain grateful to The Athletic and for the extraordinary colleagues with whom I have worked there, for the platform it provided, and for the support you showed me during this difficult time. I wish you nothing but continued success."
Sunday night, ESPN's "Inside the NBA" featured Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini doing the Jack and Rose "Titanic" move, on board the "Gone Fishing" boat featuring members of the Boston Celtics.
The Celtics fell to the Sixers in Game 7 on Saturday night.
'Inside the NBA' praised for the savage move
"This is easily the funniest/shadiest shipmate theyve ever had on a vessel. Plundered it," one fan wrote.
"Here's the only memorable moment from this entire season of Inside the NBA. Show went from epicenter of sports studio show, to completely forgotten," one fan added.
"Inside the NBA trippin for who they put on the front of the Celtics boat for gone fishing lol," one fan added.
"The Gone Fishing photo for the Celtics on Inside the NBA was a 10/10 -- Vrabel and Russini at the front of the boat looking like the Titanic was hilarious," one fan added.
"Y'all can never make me hate Inside The NBA 😂 this was more coverage on Vrabel and Russini than ESPN has done all month lol," one fan added.
Well played, ESPN.
Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 7:46 PM.