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Dianna Russini “should have disclosed to The Athletic the nature of her relationship with [Mike] Vrabel to allow editors to assess the kinds of stories on which she should have been working,” an investigation by the outlet into its former NFL insider concluded.
In April, the New York Post published photos of Russini and the Patriots head coach hugging and holding hands at an adults-only resort in Arizona. Despite the awkward appearances, the two issued statements saying that their relationship was platonic as opposed to romantic. Russini later resigned from The Athletic while Vrabel stepped away from the last day of the NFL Draft.
The Athletic’s editorial director for standards and quality Mike Semel published the results of the outlet’s months-long investigation on Thursday morning. In the report, Semel wrote that he had “not found a clear link to conclude that Russini used her platform to help promote Vrabel or help his teams during her time at The Athletic.”
“That said, there are examples of Russini writing glowingly of Vrabel that in hindsight are awkward or even uncomfortable,” the investigation continued.
There was an example in which Semel wrote that Russini was “effusive” in her praise of Vrabel after the Patriots got off to a hot start in his first year as head coach while the Titans had languished since his firing. But he also noted that other outlets, like ESPN and Fox Sports, covered the juxtaposition similarly.
“Russini’s work was seldom reliant on Vrabel as a source or subject. In interviews with editors and reporters with whom she worked most closely, it was clear Russini was sourced up around the NFL, not just with Vrabel or the Patriots,” Semel wrote. “Those sources included owners, general managers, coaches, agents and players. Athletic staffers said Russini knew dozens of coaches, ex-coaches, coordinators, front office executives and owners, and was generous sharing those sources. They did not suspect she was closer with Vrabel than anyone else. But, of course, the appearances surrounding her relationship with Vrabel undermines our audience’s confidence in her impartiality.”
The investigation also determined that a February 2025 story about Vrabel’s year between head coaching jobs written by Zack Rosenblatt likely wouldn’t have happened if not for Russini’s connection to Vrabel in brokering an introduction.
Semel writes that the inquiry was made because “Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic’s standards. Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed.”
After reviewing all articles, podcasts, and videos that mentioned Vrabel, Semel recommended attaching an editor’s note on three “light-hearted” videos (including one about Vrabel breaking up a fight during a training camp scrimmage) and a 2023 story that included details of Vrabel discussing two-point conversion scenarios at dinner with an assistant on his Titans staff before going for it the next day.
The Athletic’s investigation focused on Russini’s journalism rather than her conduct, and it thus did not seek to determine whether her relationship with Vrabel went beyond a platonic friendship.
“It also is a basic tenet of journalism to preserve detachment from the people we cover. We neither completed an investigation nor reached any conclusion about the nature of the full relationship between Vrabel and Russini, but the totality of the public photographs are enough to conclude a violation of company policy,” Semel wrote. “Additionally, when first confronted with the photos by The New York Post, Russini waited two days before telling her editors and managers. She then told a story to explain the photos that did not align with facts, raising issues of trust.”
When the New York Post published the photos, Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg gave a statement saying, “These photos are misleading and lack essential context. These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at The Athletic.”
As Front Office Sports previously reported, Ginsberg told Athletic staff in an all-hands meeting in late April that the communications could have been more clear.
