Now that Dianna Russini has resigned from her role at The Athletic, you might have expected the next development in this controversy to be news about where she would land next. But, no. Another female reporter has just been fired– not in connection with what happened, but because of her reaction to it. 

Crissy Froyd was let go from her role as a writer and analyst with USA Today for her comments targeting Russini and celebrating her resignation. However, if you ask Froyd, even her own firing is not something she appears particularly concerned about.

“I want to say firstly that I do not regret anything that I said and that I stand behind the fact it is all indeed true,” Froyd shared on her X account. “I would like to acknowledge the statements put out about me recently, and that I am also no longer with USA TODAY SMG. I regret zero of what I said and stand beside it. If you want to talk, my messages are open. My email is operative, too. I feel I’ve been very transparent and did nothing wrong.”

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“I’m sure you were told to submit this or that you’d get fired instead,” Froyd wrote on X in response to Russini’s resignation letter. “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. We know who you really are and what you’ve been up to for years. It does so much detriment to women in sports who have done things the right way.”

This prompted USA Today to formally confirm that it had ended its contractor relationship with her “effective immediately,” saying her recent statements did not reflect the outlet’s commitment to professionalism or its principles of ethical conduct. The decision followed a rapid escalation in attention around her posts, which had begun circulating widely across sports media circles and were increasingly being tied back to the publication itself.

ccording to reporting from Page Six, Froyd had already been contacted by USA Today’s Sports Media Group before the termination call. In an email she later referenced publicly, the company warned that her X posts about the Russini situation had “turned into [their] own news-making cycle” and were being linked directly to the outlet despite being made on her personal account. The message also noted that much of the speculation surrounding Russini remained unverified, something the company said it would never publish on its own platform.

Even after that warning, Froyd did not walk back her remarks. Instead, she continued to defend them, telling Page Six she had understood the risks from the beginning. “I would never say anything I didn’t stand behind because I know the potential consequences,” she said, adding that she remained grateful for the years she spent with the organization but believed speaking up had still been worth it.

She also publicly questioned what she saw as a contradiction in how the situation was handled internally. Froyd pointed to a column by USA Today writer Nancy Armour that discussed the broader credibility implications of the Russini controversy for women in sports media, arguing it was “incredibly interesting” that such commentary could be published while her own personal social-media criticism led to the end of her contract, despite her status as an independent contractor rather than a staff employee.

Froyd, for her part, has continued framing her comments as a matter of principle rather than impulse. She said she knowingly accepted the possibility of professional repercussions and encouraged others not to stay silent if they believed they were speaking for the right reasons. “Do not be afraid to potentially martyr yourself for the right causes,” she said, adding that despite the outcome, she was “incredibly proud” of what she had accomplished and was leaving the situation with her “head held high.”

The Athletic continues its investigation into Dianna Russini after controversial photos with Vrabel

After photos of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini were made public, the veteran reporter issued her resignation from her role. However, this step didn’t lead to the end of this unfortunate set of events for Russini, as she has been under investigation by The Athletic as the publication continues its review of her work.

A staff email sent by The Athletic‘s Steven Ginsberg said, per Dylan Byers of The Puck, read: “When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation, and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter. As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation. While our investigation into Dianna’s conduct was ongoing, she chose to resign. We will continue a standards review of Dianna’s work that Mike Semel is leading.”

The fallout resulting from the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel controversy does not show any signs of ending soon, especially after Crissy Froyd’s public comments about the incident resulted in the termination of her employment.

On the other hand, Dianna Russini’s career remains in jeopardy following an investigation into her conduct at The Athletic, for which she decided to resign during the investigation.