NEWSInvestigation Finds Dianna Russini’s Relationship With Mike Vrabel a 'Clear Violation' of 'Athletic' Newsroom Standards, Editorial Director Says
'The Athletic' published findings on September 3, determining that Dianna Russini's undisclosed relationship with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel violated newsroom standards.
Sept. 3 2026, Published 9:21 p.m. ET
Dianna Russini's relationship with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was a clear violation of The Athletic's newsroom standards, an internal investigation found.
The outlet published its findings on Thursday, September 3, determining that the former NFL reporter's undisclosed ties to Vrabel breached company policy.
The review stopped short of finding that Russini used her platform to benefit the coach or his teams.
A Breach of Standards
Editorial director Mike Semel wrote that regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it should have been disclosed to her editors.
According to The Atlantic editorial director for standards and editorial quality Mike Semel, Russini's relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of the outlet's standards. Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, he wrote, it was a breach that should have been disclosed to her editors.
However, The Athletic didn't reach a conclusion about the nature of Russini's relationship with Vrabel, and the review was based solely on her publicly available work rather than her private communications. The outlet said it had no access to her phone, and that Russini didn't actually participate in the review.
No Clear Reporting Bias Was Found
The review found no clear link showing she used her platform to promote Vrabel.
The review didn't find any evidence that Russini's coverage favored Vrabel. Semel wrote that he found "no clear link" showing she used her platform to promote the coach or help his teams during her time at the outlet. In fact, the vast majority of her work had nothing to do with Vrabel, the teams he coached, or the players they pursued.
He did flag moments that read differently in hindsight.
"That said, there are examples of Russini writing glowingly of Vrabel that in hindsight are awkward or even uncomfortable," the review stated.
The report cited a video in which she characterized Vrabel as "heroic" for breaking up a training camp fight, and a column detailing what the coach ate the night before a game. Semel recommended adding editor's notes to some of that content.
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Birth of a Scandal
The scandal began in April, when 'Page Six' published images of the two holding hands at a resort in Sedona, Ariz.
The scandal began as the result of a series of photos. In April, images published by Page Six showed Russini and Vrabel together at a resort in Sedona, Ariz., holding hands and sitting in a pool. Russini contacted executives at The Athletic and its parent company, The New York Times, ahead of the article's publication.
Russini disputed the impression the photos created, saying they didn't represent what actually occurred. She explained that a group of six people had been spending the day together and that NFL reporters routinely interact with sources away from stadiums. The Athletic initially defended her, with an executive calling the images "misleading" and "lacking context."
Russini's Resignation
Russini resigned before the investigation was completed
Russini resigned from The Athletic before the investigation was completed. The outlet said it began looking into the matter while she was still employed, then ended the inquiry once she departed. It didn't finish a full investigation into the relationship itself.
Russini, 43, joined The Athletic in 2023 after nearly a decade at ESPN, and had become one of the most prominent NFL reporters in the business. Vrabel, a former NFL linebacker, took the Patriots to the Super Bowl in his first season as their head coach and was named Coach of the Year.
Neither Russini nor Vrabel has commented on the review's findings.
