Business & Finance
The Athletic finds former NFL reporter Dianna Russini breached editorial standards over undisclosed relationship
An internal inquiry found no clear evidence Russini improperly aided coach Mike Vrabel's career, but editor's notes were appended to four pieces of content.
The short version
- The Athletic concluded an internal review finding that former NFL reporter Dianna Russini breached company disclosure rules regarding her relationship with coach Mike Vrabel.
- The publication reviewed hundreds of stories, podcast episodes, and videos, ultimately adding editor's notes to four pieces of content that did not meet editorial standards.
- The probe found no clear evidence that Russini used her platform to improperly promote Vrabel's professional interests.
- Russini, who resigned in April after photos of the pair surfaced, maintains that she covered the league professionally and stands by her past reporting.
Key facts
- The Athletic's internal investigation determined that Dianna Russini violated company standards by failing to disclose her relationship with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.[NBC News · Associated Press]
- Editorial director Mike Semel evaluated 903 written pieces, 77 videos, 204 podcast episodes, and 25 off-platform appearances, alongside interviewing 14 newsroom employees.[NBC News · Associated Press]
- The Athletic appended editor's notes to four items—one written story and three videos—that fell short of editorial benchmarks.[Associated Press]
- Investigators reported finding no clear link indicating Russini used her reporting to advance Vrabel's career or aid his teams.[NBC News]
- Russini resigned from the outlet in April shortly after public photographs emerged showing her and Vrabel at an Arizona resort.[NBC News · Associated Press]
- Russini stated that she stands by her resignation letter and defended her track record of professional reporting across her career.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- The internal report did not reach a formal finding on the precise personal or romantic nature of the relationship between Russini and Vrabel, noting only that the public photos demonstrated a breach of disclosure rules.[NBC News · Associated Press]