Ex-ESPN Star Elle Duncan Issues 'Quick PSA' After Dianna Russini's Resignation

Elle Duncan challenged some of the public reaction to Dianna Russini's resignation from The Athletic.

Russini stepped down on Tuesday amid an ongoing investigation caused by leaked photos of her with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. While the NFL insider didn't admit to any professional wrongdoing, Russini said she resigned to avoid giving more attention to a "media frenzy."

Duncan reacted to the fallout by condemning anyone who turned the situation into an excuse to question a woman's ability to cover sports.

"Hi quick PSA- pls stop saying the 'credibility of all women' is in jeopardy cause **insert** the story of one woman who may or may not have done whatever headline is out there," Duncan wrote on Tuesday night. "If you're dense enough to equivocate the actions of one to all, you're probably a sexist who was looking to dismiss a woman's career trajectory anyway. This is not new and we've ALL had ppl at some point in our career reduce us to a DEI hire, a hot girl hire, or a sleeping around hire. OLD TRICKS! Don't fall for it."

"It's not fair, but it's the reality"

Before Russini's resignation, a veteran columnist worried about how the Russini saga would impact other female reporters. USA Today's Nancy Armour wrote Monday that the "damage is already done," lamenting that Russini gave "new fire to the infuriating trope that women in sports are only here to hook up with athletes."

"It's not fair, but it's the reality: Russini made it harder for every single woman in sports, regardless of what we cover, to do our jobs," Armour opined. "By risking her own credibility, she's put ours in jeopardy, too."

Not everyone agreed with Armour. Sports radio host Maggie Gray noted that all male reporters weren't scrutinized when a 2011 email leaked of Adam Schefter sending a full, unpublished story to then-Washington general manager Bruce Allen.

"Did all the male news breakers get called into question when one of them referred to the Washington GM as 'Mr. Editor' in an email and let the GM change the info as he saw fit? No," Gray said.

Former ESPN personality Jemele Hill also suggested that female reporters face a higher bar of journalistic ethics than their male counterparts.

"I'll say this: While the photos raised questions, if male insiders were held to a similar standard of ethics, none of them would exist," Hill claimed.

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 4:23 PM.