The Athletic finds former reporter Dianna Russini violated conflict-of-interest policy in relationship with Patriots coach
An internal review by The Athletic concluded that former NFL reporter Dianna Russini failed to disclose her relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, breaching the outlet’s standards, though most of her coverage was unrelated to the team.
The Athletic completed an internal investigation into former NFL reporter Dianna Russini after she resigned in April following the publication of photos showing her with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. The review, led by editorial director Mike Semel, examined 903 stories, 204 podcasts and 77 videos and determined that Russini did not disclose a conflict of interest, which the report described as a clear violation of the outlet’s standards.
"Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic’s standards," the report states. "Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed."
Semel found that the vast majority of Russini’s work did not involve Vrabel, the Patriots or related players, and that the few pieces mentioning the coach were routine news coverage. About five percent of her stories referenced Vrabel, and none contained exclusive information unavailable to other outlets. One profile of Vrabel in 2024 resulted from a meeting she arranged, but the investigation found no factual inaccuracies in her reporting.
The report also noted that Russini waited two days after the New York Post first published the photos before informing her editors, and that her subsequent explanation of the images conflicted with known facts, raising concerns about trust.
Mike Vrabel addressed the findings at a media briefing on September 3. He declined to comment on the investigation, saying the team was focused on the upcoming season.
"No, I don’t have any reaction. We’re moved on and focused on Seattle and focused on the Patriots and focused on getting better this week," Vrabel said.
The investigation included interviews with 14 Athletic staff members who worked closely with Russini. A separate New York Times report later noted that Russini no longer identifies as a journalist.