On Thursday, The Athletic published a lengthy and detailed report on the findings of a standards review that found the relationship between longtime NFL reporter Dianna Russini and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was “a violation of company policy” as it pertains to “The Athletic’s standards.”
Later in the day, Vrabel said he didn’t “have any reaction” to the report, had “moved on” and was focused on preparing for New England’s Super Bowl rematch at the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 9. Russini went down a different route when asked to comment on the review.
What Dianna Russini said about her reporting regarding the Mike Vrabel scandal
“I stand by any and all reporting I’ve ever done in my career,” Russini told media insider Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
Throughout the first several months of 2026, numerous stories surfaced that featured pictures showing Vrabel and Russini, who are currently married to other people, spending time together at a variety of places from March 2020 through this past spring. The Athletic editorial director for standards and quality Mike Semel wrote for the review that “we neither completed an investigation nor reached any conclusion about the nature of the full relationship between Vrabel and Russini.” However, Semel also shared that “Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic’s standards.”
While Russini resigned from her role of covering the NFL for The Athletic in April, Patriots owner Robert Kraft has publicly supported Vrabel. Since The Athletic found no “clear link to conclude that Russini used her platform to help promote Vrabel or help his teams during her time at The Athletic,” the NFL likely won’t look into the matter any further.
What’s next for Dianna Russini after Mike Vrabel scandal?
Also on Thursday, Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports reported that sources say “Russini is ‘absolutely’ planning a comeback to sports media” at some point.
“The former senior NFL insider for The Athletic has been in discussions about several new job opportunities, ranging from pro football insider to opinionist/personality,” McCarthy added. “Russini hasn’t decided on her next play. But with the kickoff of the new pro football season only [five] days away, the former ESPN reporter is expected to make her move sooner rather than later.”
NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has repeatedly speculated that Russini will eventually tell her side of the story. McCarthy mentioned that Fox Sports Radio host Jon “Stugotz” Weiner has invited Russini, Weiner’s friend, to appear on his show. However, it sounds like Russini may be on the verge of joining a different outlet.
“The lead candidate to hire Russini, I’m hearing, is Dave Portnoy’s Barstool Sports,” McCarthy explained. “She’s friends with the company’s two biggest on-air talents: ‘Pardon My Take’ hosts Dan ‘Big Cat’ Katz and ‘PFT Commenter.’ She appeared frequently on their pod. The Jersey native has the kind of funny, entertaining personality that meshes with Barstool’s irreverent approach.”
Whether or not Russini would disclose the nature of her relationship with Vrabel via Barstool Sports is unknown at this time.
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