The Athletic has concluded its investigation into reporter Dianna Russini, finding that she violated newsroom standards due to her relationship with current Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. The findings were released Thursday.
Russini resigned from The Athletic in April. The investigation noted that while it did not find a clear link to conclude Russini used her platform to promote Vrabel or his teams, there were instances where she wrote "glowingly of Vrabel that in hindsight are awkward or even uncomfortable."
Photos obtained by Page Six in April showed Russini and Vrabel holding hands at a resort in Arizona. The publication had previously obtained photos of the two kissing at a Manhattan bar in March 2020, when Vrabel was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans and Russini was working for ESPN.
Mike Semel, The Athletic's editorial director for standards and quality, stated that the relationship created "uncomfortable" situations.
Vrabel, who coached the Titans from 2018 to 2022, is currently the head coach of the New England Patriots. Russini's tenure at The Athletic began after she left ESPN.