Patriots coach Mike Vrabel snaps at reporter after being asked about Dianna Russini investigation result: ‘We’ve moved on’
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was quick to swerve any questions about The Athletic’s investigation regarding the scandal involving himself and reporter Dianna Russini – after the outlet published their findings on Thursday afternoon.
Russini stepped down from the New York Times-owned company after bombshell pictures emerged of her and New England coach Vrabel at an adults-only resort in Arizona back in March.
Further evidence – such as other photos of Russini and Vrabel together – emerged in the weeks that followed, raising questions over the nature of their relationship and the issue of journalistic ethics given her role covering the league as an NFL insider.
The Athletic confirmed that they would be launching an internal investigation into the matter, before announcing on Thursday that they found she was ‘noncompliant’ with its standards – but showed limited evidence of bias in reporting around Vrabel.
Just hours later, Vrabel addressed the media during a Patriots press conference and snapped back at a reporter who asked for his opinion on the investigation results.
Asked of his reaction to the news, Vrabel said: ‘No, I don’t have any reaction.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was quick to shutdown any questions about The Athletic’s investigation regarding the scandal involving himself and reporter Dianna Russini
The report said that Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was a ‘clear violation of standards’
‘We’ve moved on and focused on Seattle and focused on the Patriots and focused on getting better this week.’
The reporter then pressed further on the matter, to which Vrabel snapped back: ‘I just tried to say that I’ve moved on and [am] excited about this new opportunity here as we start this season.’
The Athletic’s investigation declined to uncover the nature of Russini and Vrabel’s relationship. Both denied having an affair or cheating on their partners, though Vrabel later apologized for his ‘actions.’
The report states: ‘Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic’s standards. Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed.
‘Specifically, when it comes to The Athletic’s standards, Russini was noncompliant.’
Per The Athletic, Russini declined to be interviewed but insisted: ‘I stand by any and all reporting I’ve ever done in my career.’
The report added: ‘We neither completed an investigation nor reached any conclusion about the nature of the full relationship between Vrabel and Russini, but the totality of the public photographs are enough to conclude a violation of company policy.’
The five-month-long inquiry was conducted by Mike Semel, The Athletic’s editorial director for standards and editorial quality.
Russini stepped down from the New York Times-owned company earlier this year after bombshell pictures emerged of her and New England coach Vrabel at an adults-only resort
The Athletic found no evidence of bias in Russini’s reporting of the Patriots and Vrabel
He ‘reviewed 903 stories and 77 videos’ that carried Russini’s byline as well as reviewing ‘204 episodes of the Scoop City podcast,’ her show with the company.
He also interviewed ‘approximately 14’ of her colleagues and tried ‘to evaluate how The Athletic’s coverage of certain events involving Vrabel or his teams compared to coverage in other publications.’
The report claims that ‘when first confronted with the photos by The New York Post, Russini waited two days before telling her editors and managers. She then told a story to explain the photos that did not align with facts, raising issues of trust.’
However, Semel found limited evidence of favoritism towards Vrabel, stating: ‘Most of what Russini wrote about Vrabel or the Patriots was transactional and newsy.
‘In addition, I’ve not found a clear link to conclude that Russini used her platform to promote Vrabel or help his teams during her time at The Athletic.’
He added: ‘That said, there are examples of Russini writing glowingly of Vrabel that in hindsight are awkward or even uncomfortable.’
The report points out that ‘One story in particular likely would not have happened were it not for the connection between Russini and Vrabel,’ an article regarding the year between him being fired by the Tennessee Titans, then hired by the New England Patriots.
Vrabel and his wife Jen are pictured in 2025 when he was named Patriots head coach
Former reporter Russini pictured with husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, who she married in 2020
However, the story idea came from another reporter at The Athletic, and while they ‘asked Russini to broker a meeting with Vrabel’, she was not present and ‘had nothing to do with the journalism’. As a result, the report found: ‘The story itself meets Athletic standards, even if the access is questionable.’
The report also noted that ‘Russini’s work was seldom reliant on Vrabel as a source or subject’ and said that Athletic staffers ‘did not suspect she was closer with Vrabel than anyone else’.
Russini’s next move has not yet been revealed, but she has been tipped to return to the NFL world in the coming months.
The release of The Athletic’s investigation would appear to pave the way for a potential return to employment, with no ongoing probe looming over her.
