“It was strictly professional”: Dianna Russini’s Mike Vrabel review reveals what The Athletic found in 903 stories and 204 podcast episodes

The much-awaited moment is here. Dianna Russini’s review involving Mike Vrabel is out. It was conducted by The Athletic’s editorial director for standards and quality, Mike Semel. But before we get to that, here’s a little preview of why the review was conducted in the first place.Dianna Russini worked as The Athletic’s senior NFL insider from August 2023. She appeared on the website and app, as well as in audio and video content.On April 7, 2026, she reached out to The Athletic and The New York Times Company executives to inform them that a Page Six article would suggest a romantic relationship between her and Mike Vrabel, the New England Patriots head coach.She said the story would be based on photos of them together taken at a Sedona, Arizona, resort. The photos would come out with the story.She acknowledged a “close relationship with Vrabel,” but emphasized that “it was strictly professional.” She also said there would be no more photos of them together because she “had never done anything inappropriate.”Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel internal review finds conflict of interest but mixed resultsThe Athletic publicly supported Dianna Russini when it began an internal investigation into the reporter-coach allegations involving Mike Vrabel.During the investigation, Russini submitted her resignation. The Athletic released her from her contract on April 14, 2026.The Athletic ended its investigation into her personal conduct then but continued its investigation into her journalism. Why? “Because nothing is more important to The Athletic than its credibility and reader trust,” Mike Semel wrote.What The Athletic internal review examinedThe review examined:903 stories and 77 videos published on The Athletic website and app that had Dianna Russini’s byline, co-byline, contributor line, or a reporting mention.204 Scoop City podcast episodes produced by The Athletic and co-hosted by her.25 off-platform appearances or interviews.14 The Athletic staffers who worked closely with her.75 stories involving Mike Vrabel or his teams [the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots] for comparison with other publications.The conflict of interest was the biggest problem in Dianna Russini’s case.Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was a clear conflict of interest under The Athletic’s standards, irrespective of whether the relationship was romantic. It was a breach and should have been revealed.“To maintain the highest form of authority, we should avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest and reveal those sources or affiliations that may put into question our ability to be credible,” Mike Semel wrote.The review found limited coverage of Mike VrabelOut of the 903 stories Dianna Russini wrote, 5 percent were about Mike Vrabel or his team - 46 stories. In 32 months of employment, she wrote only three stories that had unusual depth on Vrabel. Of those three, only one carried her name.Out of 77 videos, only three were about Vrabel. They were light-hearted: what annoys him, 50 questions for his 50th birthday, and a third video that posed him as heroic after he broke up a fight during the Patriots and Commanders training camp.Out of 204 podcasts, Russini hardly mentioned Vrabel’s name.The Athletic staffers said Russini knew several coaches, former coaches, coordinators, front-office executives, and owners. She also shared her sources with staffers. And the staffers did not suspect she was closer to Vrabel than anyone else.Accuracy, bias and some awkward and uncomfortable praise for Mike VrabelThe review found no inaccuracies in Russini’s stories about Vrabel or his teams, except for the “What I’m hearing on Mike Vrabel, the Steelers, the Chiefs and more in NFL Week 12” article.Russini wrote in that article:“Angry Tennessee Titans fans can stop hoping owner Amy Adams Strunk fires Vrabel. It’s not happening. Based on multiple conversations with high-ranking Titans officials, the franchise strongly and collectively believes it has the right coach for long-term success.”The article followed widespread media questions about Vrabel’s job security, and less than two months later, he was fired.“No other media had come out as strongly about Vrabel’s job security,” Mike Semel wrote.Most columns Russini wrote about Vrabel or the Patriots were news-focused and transactional. There was no clear link to ascertain that she used her platform to promote him or his teams during her time with The Athletic.Instead, there were places where she “glowingly” wrote about him. In hindsight, they were “awkward” and even “uncomfortable.”Before Vrabel’s first face-off as New England Patriots coach against his former team, the Tennessee Titans, Russini described Vrabel as someone who had taken “something that used to be a mess” and reshaped it “into a competent operation.”She also wrote that Patriots owner Robert Kraft “has his quarterback but just needed the right man to lead his organization after Bill Belichick’s flameout and the Jerod Mayo disaster.”“Vrabel was once Tennessee Tough. Now he’s returning as New England’s hero. Even though he may be downplaying it, Patriots players want to make a statement for their coach to show they have his back,” she wrote.Dianna Russini further elaborated on why the Titans owner fired Mike Vrabel“Adams Strunk hired [Brian] Callahan because many in the building believed he was everything [Mike] Vrabel wasn’t - quieter, softer, more collaborative.She’d grown tired of Vrabel’s act, even if she respected his coaching chops. Vrabel is loud, direct, and unapologetically himself. He’s not for everyone. But he never lost his locker room.Under Vrabel, the Titans reached an AFC Championship Game, consistently overachieved and, most importantly, had an identity.And if there’s one thing Tennessee should’ve learned from his tenure, it’s this: Nobody ever questioned who the Titans were when Mike Vrabel was their leader. Since they fired him, that’s all anyone wants to know. Who are the Titans now?”While Russini’s prose sounded gushing about Vrabel, Mike Semel noted that other publications, including FOX Sports and ESPN, were also “fawning in writing about Vrabel’s return.”On the Scoop City podcast, Vrabel was described as a “leader of men” and a “CEO-style coach.” Russini pitched him for the Chicago Bears job in a December 2024 episode.In July 2024, Russini and the co-host steered the conversation toward how good a coach Vrabel was.In January 2025, when the Titans GM was fired, she said the team probably regretted firing Vrabel. In August 2025, the last part of an episode featured a lighter rapid-fire Q&A about Vrabel’s pet peeves.The Athletic review’s final decision on Dianna RussiniThe review reached two key conclusions:Russini did not disclose to her editors a clear conflict of interest.The Athletic’s standards on such issues are robust, but they are subject to employee honor, candor, and transparency.Mike Semel further suggested tighter standards for The Athletic to ensure something of this nature does not happen again:New employees should spend 30 minutes with the Standards Editor during the onboarding process to ensure accountability and an understanding of expectations.The Athletic should clarify its conflict-of-interest guidelines.Editors must ask their reporters who their anonymous sources are, even for insider transactional news.Reporters must answer their editors honestly and immediately.The recurring use of the same source should spark additional reporter-editor conversations about the nature of the source relationship.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.