Dianna Russini Recalled Another NFL Coach's Unusual Voicemail in Resurfaced Podcast
Dianna Russini is back in the spotlight after a resurfaced 2025 podcast clip revealed a previously overlooked story involving NFL coach Sean Payton. In August 2025, Russini went on The Bill Simmons Podcast where she mentioned receiving a voicemail from the Denver Broncos' head coach.
"You understand why he does the things he does and how he operates and when he's in love," Russini said on the podcast. "He's in love with this team right now. Even this summer, coach reached out to me a few times checking in. I missed the call, which, how do you miss a head coaching call? But it happens."
Insane: A clip of former Dianna Russini saying that Broncos HC Sean Payton used to send voicemails has resurfaced online...
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 26, 2026
The Russini files never end 🫣pic.twitter.com/nwhhX6uZo6
"He left me a voicemail. I gotta see if I still have it," she continued. She went on to say that Payton left a short message saying, "I love my Q," likely referring to his "quarterback."
"Who does that?" Russini added. "So when I saw him [and] we caught up, I was like, ‘What's going on?' He's like, ‘Di, I love this team. Wait ‘til you see.'"
Russini is an NFL insider who recently resigned from her job at The Athletic after photos of her with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel were published by Page Six. The pictures showed Vrabel and Russini-who are both married to other people-holding hands and hugging while at a resort in Arizona. Initially, both played the photos off as a moment between friends, but additional photos have since been released, one even showing the two kissing at a bar in New York City back in 2020.
Russini has not issued any statements after leaving her post at The Athletic. As far as Vrabel goes, he has addressed the media a couple of times since the scandal first broke. He missed day three of the 2026 NFL Draft to be with his family, but he returned to work on Monday, April 27.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 3:40 PM.