Around two weeks ago, it was revealed that NFL reporter Dianna Russini would be leaving ESPN to join The Athletic.
Peter King, a longtime columnist, recently shared in his Football Morning in America column that Russini will be one of the highest-paid writers in the history of the New York Times now that she has joined The Athletic.
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King also mentioned that Russini’s decision to leave ESPN was influenced by a lack of opportunities for advancement within the company.
“I did walk away,” Russini said, via NBC Sports. “It wasn’t a situation where ESPN didn’t want me. I love ESPN. They’ve given me so much opportunity and the people I’ve worked with were incredible. It was a really difficult decision for me, for my family. But it really came down to recognizing at ESPN I wasn’t going to change roles. There was no elevation there for me based on my conversations with the company. They did not have a vision outside of what I currently do.
“The Athletic, through conversations I had with all the people in charge, just has an endless amount of roles and ideas for me. They want information. They want a storyteller. They want someone with personality. Once I realized they were pretty much handing me over a blank sheet of paper that basically just said go be who you want to be, I realized that this could change my life. The Athletic showed that they value me more than ESPN, for sure.”
This seems like a valid reason for Russini’s departure from ESPN.
As she begins her new role, Russini will be responsible for enhancing The Athletic’s coverage of the NFL in the foreseeable future. We’ll see if she changes her IG handle?
Check out more of Russini below:
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