What The Athletic Told Employees Immediately After Dianna Russini's Resignation

Amid an investigation by The Athletic into an inappropriate relationship between reporter Dianna Russini and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, the former made a pretty big decision on Tuesday.

Russini, who's denied any wrongdoing after photos of her and Vrabel getting chummy at an adults-only hotel in Arizona weeks ago, turned in her resignation to the media outlet, maintaining she's "covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication" throughout her career and pointing the finger at the national media for portraying the situation in a disingenuous light.

Russini has been one of the top NFL insiders in the industry for years. The Athletic poached her from ESPN back in 2023.

Wish Russini voluntarily stepping away from the company, The Athletic didn't waste any time reminding the rest of its staff to uphold its strict journalistic standard which reflect both The Athletic and its parent company, the New York Times.

"While I can’t share the details of our investigation into Dianna’s conduct, I want to emphasize that the leadership of The Athletic has taken this matter seriously from the moment that we learned about it," The Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg wrote in a company-wide email. "Our coverage at The Athletic is deeply rooted in our integrity and our commitment to earning the trust of our audience.

"Our newsroom has thrived because of our core journalistic values, and we will always ensure they are protected. When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter. As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation.

"While our investigation into Dianna’s conduct was ongoing, she chose to resign. We will continue a standards review of Dianna’s work that Mike Semel is leading. Amid all of this, I want to sincerely thank everyone for continuing to produce the best sports report in the business. I’m looking forward to focusing on our journalism and continuing our momentum."

Though Russini is no longer part of The Athletic, the company plans to resume its investigation into the Vrabel incident. It's not known if it will make the results of its findings public.

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 10:04 PM.