NFL reporter Crissy Froyd has been fired from her position at USA Today after she publicly celebrated Dianna Russini’s resignation from the Athletic over her photo scandal with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.
“USA TODAY Sports has ended its contractor relationship with Crissy Froyd effective immediately. Her recent statements do not reflect our commitment to professionalism or uphold our principles of ethical conduct,” the outlet said in a statement on Thursday.
Froyd responded to the news of her firing in a statement to Page Six, saying: “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.”
“I want to thank USA TODAY SMG for the incredible run I had there for about half of my life. It is deeply, deeply emotional to me that this relationship has come to an end and that my contract has been terminated because of this.”
“I would never say anything I didn’t stand behind because I know the potential consequences, even if a situation seems risky,” she continued. “Thank you to everyone who has supported me both before and after I released my statements.”
Froyd went on to call out USA Today columnist Nancy Armour as she went on, calling it “incredibly interesting” that she “was able to publish a story about Dianna Russini setting women’s credibility back in sports, but that I am somehow unable to be gone on with after I said what I had to say about it — and not even as an employee, but as an independent contractor on my own social media accounts.”
“Regardless of what happens to me in the future, I want to say something. Do not be afraid to potentially martyr yourself for the right causes. I put myself out there in some respects in a way that was highly uncomfortable to me, but I thought it was worth doing,” Froyd added, noting that she “did not shy away” from any public scrutiny in light of her actions.
“I am incredibly proud of everything I’ve accomplished and I do walk away with my head held high,” she closed.
Froyd told Page Six that prior to receiving the news of her firing — which was allegedly delivered via a call — she received an email from the USA Today Sports Media Group department regarding her social media activity.
“Reaching out about the issues being caused by your X posts surrounding the Russini situation, which has turned into its own news-making cycle which directly ties USA TODAY to your own independent posts off-platform,” the email, which Page Six has seen, read in part.
“Much of the Russini conjecture is unverified, and your comments are now being linked by name to USA TODAY in several articles. As you can imagine, this is a serious issue for the company, as we would never publish such things on our platform.”
Froyd’s firing comes shortly after she made headlines for publicly slamming fellow reporter Russini, 43, over the photos of her and Vrabel, 50, hugging and holding hands at an Arizona resort that were exclusively published by Page Six last week.
“I’m sure you were told to submit this or that you’d get fired instead. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” the journalist tweeted Tuesday alongside Russini’s resignation letter.
“We know who you really are and what you’ve been up to for years,” she claimed. “It does so much detriment to women in sports who have done things the right way.”
Froyd added that “all of us do know what [Russini’s] been up to” before accusing the reporter of being involved in “fights with other reporters in Chili’s parking lots about hooking up with married NFL coaches.”
“It is almost certainly all true,” she asserted, calling Russini’s alleged behavior “the worst kept secret in the NFL reporting world for a while.”
Page Six reached out to Russini for comment on Froyd’s tweets but did not immediately hear back.
Russini and Vrabel — who are both married to other people — visited the Sedona, Arizona boutique resort Ambiente on March 28.
A Page Six spy told us that the pair joined each other for breakfast on the patio of the hotel before hitting the pool for a leisurely dip, and then they finished off their time by lounging side-by-side in a hot tub. They were later seen on a private rooftop of the hotel bungalow.
Vrabel responded to the photos in a statement, telling Page Six: “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
Russini addressed the snaps saying, “The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day. Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
In light of the incident, Russini announced her resignation from The Athletic amid an internal investigation.
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