Dianna Russini will seek a press credential for Radio Row during Super Bowl week in February in Los Angeles, and the NFL has not yet approved the request. The decision matters now because the league’s media accreditation process for Super Bowl LXI is already underway, with the application deadline set for Dec. 4.
Russini’s path back into Super Bowl week coverage is tied to how she presents herself. She debuted a new weekly NFL web show on BetUS this week, but she has also said she will launch a podcast with Jon “Stugotz” Weiner through iHeartMedia. That split matters because some NFL teams say the banner on a credential request can determine whether the request is accepted at all.
Executives for multiple NFL teams said they would not grant Russini access to one of their home games or to their facility during practice week if she applied under the BetUS banner. They pointed to her association with the offshore sportsbook, not the tabloid scandal involving Patriots coach Mike Vrabel that led to her resignation from The Athletic in April. The distinction is important because it shows the objection is not to her reporting alone, but to the media outlet attached to the request.
One NFL team told Front Office Sports it would credential Russini and grant her access. Another said it would consider a request, while a third said it would consider an application made through iHeart but not BetUS. That leaves Russini trying to use the cleaner of her two public affiliations as the league reviews whether she can be cleared for Radio Row in Los Angeles.
Radio Row is the media hub during Super Bowl week, where hundreds of media companies interview former players, coaches and celebrities. The NFL has long leaned on media partners for that stage, and iHeart has a large annual presence there, which helps explain why a request through that channel may face less resistance than one tied to BetUS. Russini’s recent controversy has clearly affected how some teams view her access, even as others show they may still work with her.
Super Bowl LXI is scheduled for Feb. 14 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and that is the backdrop for the league’s decision. If the NFL approves her credential request, Russini will be back in the middle of one of the sport’s busiest media weeks. If it does not, the question will not be whether she can report on the Super Bowl, but which doors the league is willing to open for her when she asks again.
