ESPN’s “Inside the NBA” poked fun at the Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini controversy on Sunday night during playoff coverage.
The broadcast featured a “Gone Fishing” segment following the Boston Celtics’ exit from the playoffs after a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The graphic featured sportscaster Bill Simmons, actors John Krasinski, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum on a fishing boat
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In the right corner, Vrabel and Russini were featured in a “Titanic”-esque scene with the New England Patriots head coach holding the hips of the NFL reporter.
Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley – who usually bring it with the jokes – were left stunned.
“Who are the two people at the front?” Smith asked as he tried to bait Barkley into making a comment. “I don’t know them.”
Barkley responded, “Stop it, stop it.”
“Ben Affleck and Matt Damon on there, Tatum and Brown,” Johnson said. “That’s all I see on that boat. I don’t see anything else.”
ESPN declined to comment on the graphic.
The company technically licenses the show from TNT Sports, which still produces it.
Vrabel and Russini were caught up in a scandal last month after photos in Page Six showed the two getting cozy in an Arizona resort during the NFL’s annual meeting. Further Page Six photos appeared to show Vrabel and Russini kissing in 2020.
Russini resigned from The Athletic in a letter last month.
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“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published. When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts,” the letter read.
“Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept. Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”
Vrabel initially called the situation “laughable,” but as more photos began to leak, he briefly stepped away from the Patriots to seek counseling.
“My previous actions don’t meet the standard that I hold myself to,” Vrabel said before the NFL Draft began. “My priorities are my family and this football team, in that order. And there is a balance there that I am going to create.”
