The Athletic is investigating its NFL insider Dianna Russini’s claim that the photos published showing her with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel were part of a larger outing with other friends, according to a report from Front Office Sports.
One of the photos, published by Page Six on Tuesday, April 7, shows Russini, 43, and Vrabel, 50, clutching each other’s hands. Another shows the two with their arms wrapped around each other. Both Russini and Vrabel are married.
“The Athletic is pressing for proof about Russini’s claim that they were there with other people,” Front Office Sports wrote in a story published Friday, April 10. “In the days since the Post’s story was published, there has been no public evidence to support the claims.”
Front Office Sports also reported that Russini’s contract at The Athletic expires in August, just before the start of the next NFL season.
Us Weekly has reached out to The Athletic for comment.
Russini and Vrabel have both insisted that their interactions at the Arizona resort where the photos were taken were innocent.
“The photos don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day,” Russini said in a statement to Page Six. “Like most journalists in the NFL, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other venues.”
Vrabel added, “These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
When the story first dropped, The Athletic’s executive editor Steven Ginsberg released a statement defending Russini, who has worked for the outlet since 2023.
“These photos are misleading and lack essential context,” Ginsberg said. “These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at The Athletic.”
The photos came after The Athletic quietly stopped publishing new episodes of its “Scoop City” podcast, of which Russini is a cohost. Awful Announcing reported on Friday that staff at The Athletic heard the show was being “wound down” before its final episode dropped.
Sebastian Tomich, The Athletic’s Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Development Officer, told the outlet that the podcast has been “in transition since the Super Bowl.”
“We consistently make changes to our portfolio of shows with an eye towards growing The Athletic’s audience, and will have updates and new offerings for the start of the season,” he said.
As of Friday afternoon, Russini has also not published a new story for The Athletic since the photos were released.
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