As the preseason has rolled around, attention has quickly shifted away from one of the biggest controversies of the entire offseason. The alleged affair between New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and veteran reporter Dianna Russini had been the talk of the town all summer.
But with football back on people’s screens, the focus has shifted for the larger NFL audience. Now, one radio host believes the investigation into Russini might also be stifled in the near future.
Dianna Russini Investigation Might Be Limited by NFL Partnership
The scandal first came to light when pictures of the two at a resort in Arizona were exposed back in April. From there, the story spread like wildfire, becoming a major controversy all across social media. Internet sleuths immediately went to work.
Trying to find more connections with the two, people found errant comments, old interviews, and even Spotify playlists connecting the couple. Even though major media outlets shied away from the news, both Vrabel and Russini had to deal with the consequences.
She stepped down from her role at The Athletic, while the Patriots’ head coach admitted to having some tough conversations with the organization and his family. He also checked into counseling, which caused him to miss the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft.
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Her former company, The Athletic, has been investigating her reporting and the credibility of her stories for several months, yet Jonas Knox of Fox Sports believes the investigation might not be as detailed as many expect.
“I am here to tell you that this investigation is going nowhere. It’s gone,” Knox said. “And I’ll tell you why. Because, according to Front Office Sports, the NFL and The Athletic have discussed expanding their relationship, with one possibility being to include content from The Athletic appearing on NFL.com and NFL+.”
“If The Athletic, no pun intended here, plans on being in bed with the NFL, do you really think that the full details of this investigation is going to be ‘revealed’?”
📺@TheJonasKnox pic.twitter.com/i2CaiCiEmt
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) August 23, 2026
That was enough to convince Knox that a comprehensive report wasn’t coming. He added, “Do you really think that the full details of this investigation are going to be revealed? Because I don’t. I don’t see how you sign up to be a part of the machine and then at the same time show the machine how the sausages are made.”
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He continued, “This tells me that we’re never going to get the conclusion to this investigation. It’s just not going to happen. Because I think if you wanna open this door, you gotta open up a lot of other doors.”
“I would be shocked if you heard any conclusion on the investigation that was resulted in anything other than something along the lines of, ‘Yeah, you know, based on our investigation, there was nothing further that went on, isolated incident, and we wish Dianna Russini the best in her future,'” Knox added. “That’s basically how this is going to go. I’d be shocked if it goes any other way.”
It remains to be seen if the partnership between the two sides does come to fruition. But so far, The Athletic has taken its due time to make a full investigation. Russini, on her end, has been radio silent since the entire scandal was exposed.
If she ever decides to share her side of the story, though, then that could bring the situation to light, one way or another.
