Former USA Today contractor Crissy Froyd has shared the email she received from the outlet after she was fired on Thursday, April 16.
“One hell of a woofer to send out to an independent contractor,” she wrote via X, alongside a screenshot of the email. “This is what I received ahead of 2 phone calls.”
The email, which Froyd, 26, cropped to not include a signature, began, “Hello Crissy, I tried to call you but it wouldn’t put me through.”
“Reaching out about the issues being caused by your 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 continued.
“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.”
USA Today fired Froyd after she took to X on Tuesday, April 14 to weigh in about former Athletic NFL Insider Dianna Russini’s alleged “track record.”
Russini, 43, resigned from her post at The Athletic on Tuesday amid an internal investigation into photos published by Page Six showing her with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at a resort in Arizona. The photos show the pair appearing to clasp each other’s hands and with their arms around each other.
Russini and Vrabel, 50, have both insisted the photos are innocent and they were with other people as well, who were not pictured.
“All of us do know what she’s been up to,” Froyd said in a statement to the Daily Caller in a story published Wednesday, April 15. “It was the worst kept secret in the NFL reporting world for a while.”
She added, “I can honestly say I have never slept with a player or coach for professional gain. Dianna cannot say the same. That’s where the difference is.”
As her post continued to go viral and her statement to the Daily Caller began to spread, USA Today decided to cut ties with Froyd.
“USA TODAY Sports has ended its contractor relationship with Crissy Floyd effective immediately,” USA Today Sports spokesperson Lark-Marie Antón said in a statement. “Her recent statements do not reflect our commitment to professionalism or uphold our principles of ethical conduct.”
Froyd, who told TMZ on Thursday that she is “beyond distraught” at her dismissal, was also defiant, insisting she did nothing wrong.
“I am looking forward to what is next and I do walk away with my head held high,” she told the outlet. “Have I become a martyr? We will see. But I hold zero regret and am beyond proud of my accomplishments.”
