NFL Insider Dianna Russini Leaves The Athletic After Photos with Patriots Coach Vrabel Trigger Uproar

Dianna Russini, a veteran NFL reporter who built her reputation at ESPN over nearly a decade before joining The Athletic in 2023, has stepped down from her position after a controversy sparked by photographs published in the New York Post showing her alongside New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at a luxury resort in Sedona, Arizona.

The images, which showed the pair together by a pool, in a hot tub, and on a rooftop deck, including what appeared to be embraces and holding hands, appeared shortly before NFL owners meetings began in Phoenix on 29 March. Both Russini and Vrabel, who are each married to other people, said the interaction was platonic and taken entirely out of context, with the coach calling any suggestion of impropriety "laughable."

Russini departed The Athletic less than a week after the photos emerged and an internal investigation was launched. In a letter addressed to executive editor Steven Ginsberg, she defended her record forcefully. "I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published," she wrote. "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."

Russini went on to criticise the wave of speculation that followed, saying commentators had engaged in "self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts." She added that she refused to lend the narrative further oxygen or allow it to define her career, choosing instead to step aside before her contract expired on 30 June.

Ginsberg confirmed in an internal memo to staff that leadership had taken the matter seriously from the outset. Initially, he said, the outlet received a detailed explanation and instinct was to support a colleague during the review. However, as additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of the investigation. Russini chose to resign before that process concluded. Ginsberg said The Athletic would continue with a standards review of her work.

Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a player with the Patriots and was named AP NFL Coach of the Year after guiding the team to a 14-3 record and a Super Bowl appearance last season, did not attend New England's pre-draft news conference. The Patriots are entering Vrabel's second season as head coach and are coming off a campaign that ended with a loss to Seattle in Super Bowl LX.

Russini brought nearly a decade of NFL experience from ESPN to The Athletic, where she hosted a podcast and appeared regularly on their video platform. Her resignation marks a sudden and unexpected end to a high-profile tenure at one of the industry's most-read sports publications.