An internal investigation found that former reporter Dianna Russini’s undisclosed relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel violated editorial standards but did not produce evidence of clear bias in her coverage, according to a report The Athletic published Thursday on its website.
Mike Semel, The Athletic’s editorial director for standards and editorial quality, conducted the nearly five-month investigation. He wrote that the relationship was in clear violation of the outlet’s standards regardless of whether it was romantic, and that it should have been disclosed.
On the question of coverage, Semel wrote that he found no clear link to conclude she used her platform to help promote Vrabel or his teams during her time at The Athletic. He added that there are examples of glowing writing about Vrabel that are in hindsight awkward or uncomfortable.
Semel also wrote that the appearances surrounding her relationship with Vrabel undermine audience confidence in her impartiality.
What the investigation reviewed
Semel reviewed 903 stories and 77 videos containing her byline, contributor line or mention of her reporting. He analyzed 204 episodes of a podcast she co-hosted and reviewed other outlet appearances while she was employed there. He interviewed Athletic staff but did not speak to Russini directly, according to a source with direct knowledge of the investigation.
The outlet had no access to her phone. The review was based solely on her publicly available reporting. The inquiry had begun while she was still employed but was closed when she resigned.
Semel wrote that the vast majority of her work had nothing to do with Vrabel, the teams he coached or the players those teams were pursuing, and that editors and reporters who worked closely with her described her as broadly sourced across the NFL, not simply with Vrabel or the Patriots.
What triggered the investigation
The New York Post published photographs of the two at an adults-only resort, after which Russini resigned from the outlet, which is owned by the New York Times Company. The Athletic’s executive editor Steven Ginsberg initially issued a public defense of Russini, saying the matter had been taken out of context. He later sent a memo to staff saying that as additional information emerged, new questions arose that became part of the investigation.
Both organizations declined to comment beyond the published report. Russini also declined to comment. Vrabel said Thursday he had no reaction to the findings and that he had moved on and was focused on the new season.
Specific findings
Semel found no inaccuracies in Russini’s reporting. He flagged one piece from 2023 in which Russini reported that Vrabel’s coaching job in Tennessee was safe less than two months before Vrabel was fired by the Titans. The report noted that no other outlet came out as strongly about Vrabel’s job security at that time, while also acknowledging it was difficult to prove the story was inaccurate when published.
Semel recommended adding editor’s notes to four pieces of Athletic content, including three videos described as lighthearted and a column in which information was not properly attributed.
Recommendations
The report concluded with recommendations that the outlet add a meeting with the standards editor to its onboarding process for new hires, and that The Athletic enforce its conflict of interest guidelines more vigilantly. The sourcing standards recommendation included requiring reporters to disclose anonymous sources to their editors.
