Dianna Russini’s Ties To NFL Coach Violated Ethics Rules But Didn’t Taint Most Reporting, Athletic Probe Finds

The Athletic recently revealed that former senior NFL reporter Dianna Russini breached the outlet's journalistic standards by not disclosing her relationship with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. The New York Times-owned sports publication announced this on Thursday, arguing that the relationship created a conflict of interest and thus should have been disclosed.

The Athletic did not confirm the romantic nature of the relationship, but they were clear that it constituted a breach and should have been disclosed, as per their standards.

The probe was sparked by a month-long investigation that began in April after photos surfaced on Page Six, showing Russini and Vrabel together at a luxury hotel in Sedona, Arizona. Russini initially told her editors that their relationship was "close" but "strictly professional". The Athletic, in its initial response, supported Russini before initiating an investigation into her work.

Russini later resigned from the outlet on April 14, citing her stance that she remained committed to her reporting and did not wish to be part of what she termed a "public inquiry". Despite her departure, The Athletic continued to scrutinize her journalism. According to their review, 5% of her work included references to Vrabel or his teams, yet none of the content contained inaccuracies.

However, the review also found that some of her coverage of Vrabel was overly complimentary, being described as "gushing" and "effusive" in hindsight.

The Athletic also noted that Russini's explanation for the photos did not align with the facts, which raised concerns about her credibility. The outlet recommended several changes to their newsroom practices following this investigation, including requiring new editorial hires to meet with their standards editor and encouraging editors to pay closer attention to reporters' reliance on the same sources.

The controversy around Russini's actions persisted even after her resignation. In June, The New York Times also examined her journalistic practices. The Athletic's subsequent report suggested further enhancements to the newsroom's safeguards, such as requiring new employees to interact with their standards editor and urging editors to be more vigilant about recurring use of the same sources.

A spokesperson for the Patriots did not immediately comment on the matter.