Dianna Russini's resignation from The Athletic amid Mike Vrabel controversy adds more fuel to 'quid pro quo' fire

Olney then said he spoke with an executive who said they can "connect all the dots" between reporters, players and agents whenever they read a story. In turn, media members can obtain more quotes and break more stories. The insider then compared this to the 1990s steroid era of baseball. 

"It's as if I'm a player in the middle of the '90s steroid era, where you're looking around going, 'C'mon with some of the stuff that is happening,'" he said. "And some of the people who suffer for it are the viewers [and] listeners because they don't have the context in the way that someone like me and the executive I was talking with has about behind the scenes, and I really hope that's something that gets scrutinized as we move forward."

How does this apply to Dianna Russini and other reporters?

Sports figures could use reporters to twist the narrative to their benefit if they become too close. 

For example, Russini frequently reported on Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown before she left The Athletic. The wideout may be traded this offseason. 

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio suggested Vrabel could have been "using Russini to agitate a trade for Brown," or she was potentially offering him information she had acquired from other teams. Regardless, both would be unethical.

Russini's not the only reporter who should be questioned. Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer used to train free-agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers in mixed martial arts. His relationship with the four-time league MVP has since soured. 

And what about ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter letting former Washington Commanders executive Bruce Allen preview one of his stories during the 2011 NFL lockout? Schefter apologized in October 2021 after his email to Allen surfaced.

This isn't to say all reporters are doing a bad job. Many are producing great work. The problem is that those who reach the top seem to be forgetting best practices. 

These reporters are supposed to be voices of truth, but instead, some are acting like cronies for their sources. To end the "quid pro quo" culture among modern sports insiders, it's on newsroom leadership to remind them that high-level journalism is a privilege, and that misusing it undermines the profession.