One of the lingering conversations surrounding the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel scandal is the impact it may have on women journalists in the NFL space and sports in general, and on their credibility in the eyes of others in the industry.

Netflix’s Elle Duncan doesn’t see it that way.

Duncan appeared on The Craig Carton Show earlier this week, and Carton broached the ongoing controversy stemming from what appears to have been an inappropriate relationship between the New England Patriots head coach and now-former The Athletic reporter. The radio host expressed concern that this might make it harder for younger women in the industry to overcome stereotypes some men hold about them, asking Duncan whether she was worried about that as well.

Elle Duncan responds to the Vrabel Russini controversy…@craigcartonlive@elleduncantv#NFL#SportsMedia#MikeVrabel#Patriotspic.twitter.com/jHuzaLaoq8

— The Craig Carton Show (@CraigCartonShow) May 6, 2026

“I’m wondering if you and your former and current female colleagues have had that kind of awkward, you know, private conversation since this story has blown up, and what your take is on it overall,” said Carton.

“I actually disagree with you,” started Duncan. “The thing that’s made me the most angry about this whole situation is somehow feeling like the actions of a couple are an indictment on all women and their opportunities to be taken seriously.

“If you are chauvinistic enough to associate the actions of one and apply them to all women, then you were never going to take a woman seriously anyway in her job. You were always going to minimize why she got that role. Well before Diana Russini ever happened, I’ve had to face claims of DEI or getting my job because I’m hot or getting my job because, you know, I did nefarious things to get it. Those kinds of people will look for any opportunity to [reduce] you and minimize what you’ve done to get to that platform. This is just leverage to do more of that.

“Any reasonable person would know that what one person does not apply to everyone else. And I really don’t want women sharing in that discourse… in that narrative on social media by making those claims as well. ‘Oh, well, now it’s going to be harder for me.’ It was always going to be difficult to convince a certain faction of the population that you deserve to get what you get on merit alone.

“So no, I don’t buy into that whatsoever. It doesn’t make any of it harder for me, because if you are that kind of person, then I was never really going to speak to you anyway.”

Duncan’s comments echo her reaction to Nancy Armour’s USA Today column, which argues that Russini’s actions jeopardize all women in the field.

The discourse around Russini and Vrabel and its impact on the NFL insider’s work has been a cesspool, to say the least. And plenty of people have made the correlation between Russini’s alleged actions and those of many other female journalists and writers. To Duncan’s point, doing so is asinine and simply reinforces gross stereotypes.

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