The internal investigation into the relationship between New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and former Athletic NFL insider Dianna Russini reportedly remains ongoing nearly two months after its launch.
The Athletic’s senior editor, Steven Ginsberg, held an all-hands meeting with the staff last week where he provided an update, according to a story published by Page Six on Sunday, June 7.
“It’s going to take a few more weeks,” Ginsberg reportedly told his staffers. “There’s just a lot to go through, and we obviously want to take our time and be careful doing that. We will update everybody when we get to the end of that. We’ve also said that if we find anything that needs to be corrected, we will correct it along the way.”
Us Weekly has reached out to The Athletic for comment.
The outlet announced that an investigation had been opened on April 11, four days after Page Six published photos of Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, together at a luxury resort in Arizona in March.
Vrabel has been married to wife, Jen, since 1999, while Dianna and husband Kevin Goldschmidt have been married since September 2020. Vrabel and his wife share two sons, Tyler and Carter, whom they welcomed in 2000 and 2001. Russini and Goldschmidt share sons Michael and Joey, born in August 2021 and October 2022.
“The Athletic is investigating the conduct of a senior N.F.L. reporter, Dianna Russini, after the publication of photographs that showed her with Mike Vrabel, the head coach for the New England Patriots, according to a person familiar with the inquiry,” The Athletic’s own reporting said. “The Athletic’s editorial guidelines require that their journalists avoid any activities that pose a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict, so as not to call into question their credibility.”
In a meeting with his staff later that month, Front Office Sports reported that Ginsberg “acknowledged that communications could have been more clear” when it came to the investigation into Russini and Vrabel.
Ginsberg reportedly read from a prepared statement “lasting about 10 minutes” and did not take any questions from staffers.
When the first batch of photos of Vrabel and Russini were published, Ginsberg supported Russini vehemently.
“These photos are misleading and lack essential context,” Ginsberg said at the time. “These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at the Athletic.”
Subsequent photos were later released of Vrabel and Russini from over the years, including images of the pair kissing at a New York City bar in March 2020.
Russini resigned from her position as The Athletic’s senior NFL insider on April 14.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” Russini said in a written statement shared via social media. “When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.”
Russini continued, “Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept. Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”
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