Dianna Russini’s alleged relationship with Mike Vrabel is making headlines once again after her former employer published a lengthy article on Wednesday morning.
The New York Times’ article detailed the scandal with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, which exploded when photos of the pair were published by Page Six in early April.
Dianna Russini Aided Mike Vrabel’s Job Search
The New York Times’ article written by Katherine Rosman and Ken Belson reveals that Russini served as an “unofficial advisor” to Vrabel during his job search. After the Tennessee Titans fired Vrabel in January 2024, he served as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns during the 2024 NFL season, and then was hired by the Patriots last offseason.
The article notes that this was a clear conflict of interest for Russini.
“The Athletic’s editorial guidelines include language addressing relationships between its journalists and the people they cover,” the article reads. “Under a section titled ‘Transparency,’ the publication says reporters ‘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.'”
A Times spokesperson revealed that as part of The Athletic’s investigation into Russini, they are looking into a 4,400-word article that was written by Zack Rosenblatt but that Russini “helped broker” after “arranging breakfest for the three of them.”
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NFL podcaster Tony Farmer reacted to this revelation that Russini was working as Vrabel’s “unofficial advisor,” noting that she essentially got The Athletic to write a puff piece about the head coach to help him secure a new job.
Holy Crap!! This is BIG.
I had an epiphany live on air after reading the New York Times’ Russini article today.
NYT says according to a friend, Russini was working as an “unofficial advisor” to Vrabel during his job search … Did Russini arrange the Rosenblatt interview to… pic.twitter.com/caZSwWMPPS
— Tony Farmer (@Tonysmarkettips) June 24, 2026
“This article said Russini was working as an unofficial advisor for Vrabel,” Farmer said. “Zack Rosenblatt wrote an article on Jan. 25 titled, ‘Inside Mike Vrabel’s Off Year.’ … Why didn’t Dianna Russini write that article? The Athletic is interested in that article.
“If Dianna Russini’s friend says that she was working as an advisor for Mike Vrabel, if she organized this article, I think there might be a connection. This is big… NFL reporter helping a coach get a job? That’s odd. Russini brokered the connection between Vrabel and Rosenblatt. Was that part of her unofficial advisor role? Wow!”
He also added in his tweet: “Did Russini arrange the Rosenblatt interview to help Mike Vrabel’s job search? I now believe that is a major question the Athletic is looking into… Was there a media campaign led by Russini to help Mike Vrabel’s employment?”
After six seasons in charge of the Titans, Vrabel was fired in January 2024 after a woeful 6-11 record. After not getting a head coaching gig, Vrabel signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Browns as a coaching and personnel consultant.
In January 2025, he was hired to replace Jerod Mayo as the Patriots’ head coach. He led New England to a 14-3 record, a 10-win improvement that was tied for the biggest single-season improvement in NFL history. Then, he helped the Patriots win their first playoff game since 2018 and advance to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
Rosman and Belson noted that Russini “operated in a sports-media landscape where traditional journalistic lines could be blurry,” while pointing to an incident where she called an NFL head coach during a traffic stop to get out of a ticket. The Athletic described this as “unacceptable conduct.”
Russini ultimately resigned from her $800,000 job at The Athletic in the aftermath of the scandal. The Athletic is still investigating Russini, and it remains to be seen if their findings will be made public.
