Months after The New York Times published its lengthy piece on the Dianna Russini, Mike Vrabel situation, The Athletic finally comes out with its own findings
After Russini resigned from her job at The Athletic, saying she didn’t want to submit to the “public inquiry,” the organization proceeded with its investigation.
Mike Florio Reacts to The Athletic Releasing Its Long-Awaited Dianna Russini Findings
The Athletic reported that what Russini allegedly did was a breach of its company’s standards; they found no evidence suggesting her reporting was biased toward Vrabel and the New England Patriots.
“Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic’s standards,” the report reads. “Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed.”
Mike Florio has been one of the few analysts who have used their platform to discuss the Russini-Vrabel scandal that emerged after the two were pictured together at a resort in Arizona.
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The NFL analyst did raise the question about why the organization was taking so long with its investigation, and now that the findings are finally here, he said:
“It took much longer than expected. In the end, it didn’t say much (if anything) that was unexpected. The report apparently concludes all matters between The Athletic and Russini. And it likewise concludes the story — unless and until Russini tells her version of it.”
“If she hopes to make the biggest splash and cause the most potential chaos, Tuesday, September 8 (the night before the Patriots-Seahawks regular-season opener), continues to be the ideal date for her next move,” Florio added.
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Russini refused to give an interview after The Athletic released the investigation report. However, she did give a statement to Andrew Marchand saying:
“I stand by any and all reporting I’ve ever done in my career.”
The viral Sedona snaps were not the last of Russini and Vrabel’s troubles, as there were more details about their alleged relationship that made the headlines, including their boat trip together in Tennessee while the former NFL reporter was pregnant and a picture of them getting close to each other at a bar in New York City in 2020.
After the massive controversy, while Vrabel did subtly admit to something, saying he had a few tough conversations with the franchise and his family and that he hasn’t been holding himself to the standards he holds for himself, Russini has yet to publicly address the relationship itself or take any accountability for it, offering only a brief statement defending the integrity of her reporting.
