Dianna Russini, Mike Vrabel Reportedly Coordinated Response to NY Post Story

Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel reportedly put out a coordinated statement after their inappropriate photos were published by the New York Post.

Dianna Russini, Mike Vrabel Reportedly Coordinated Response to NY Post Story

Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel (Image via Sports Illustrated and IMAGO)

In Short
  • Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel coordinated their response to a New York Post story about their interactions.
  • Russini resigned from The Athletic before the completion of an internal investigation into the matter.
  • Sports journalist Jemele Hill criticized the one-sided reaction towards Russini, who faced online backlash.

Even though it was the most talked-about story in the NFL over the past ten days, a lot of mainstream media outlets didn’t cover it until ESPN’s Ben Strauss did a deep dive into the Dianna Russini–Mike Vrabel scandal and found some juicy details that had been kept secret. According to Strauss’ article, Russini and Vrabel made a coordinated response to the report from the New York Post.

On April 7, the Post ran a story revealing several photos of Russini and Vrabel hugging and holding hands at a luxurious hotel in Arizona. Russini’s and Vrabel’s initial response was to dismiss the photos as an innocent and harmless interaction.

Strauss spoke with people privy to the entire ordeal at The Athletic, the sports wing of The New York Times, and discovered that Russini and Vrabel coordinated together before releasing their statement. That alone could be flagged as a potential violation of the code of conduct. Asking the person who is also part of the ongoing coverage for any kind of advice or opinion creates a conflict of interest.

In layman’s terms, if Russini and Vrabel weren’t together, then both of their individual stories should check out. Coordination can also be viewed as devising a plan to escape punishment.

Although The Athletic, to an extent, and The New York Times have a strict policy against such behavior. Despite that, The Athletic chose to side with Russini before launching an internal investigation, which raised questions about her journalistic integrity. Executive editor Steven Ginsberg told the Post (H/T: ESPN):

When this situation was brought to our attention, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter. As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation.

Russini resigned even before the publication could complete its investigation, raising even more questions.

In the meantime, both Vrabel and the New England Patriots continue to avoid addressing the matter. Vrabel recently missed the Patriots pre-draft press conference and fans may have to wait until the draft to get some sort of answer.

Sports journalist Jemele Hill called out Vrabel for staying silent while Russini faces online hate.

I do find the reaction to this is completely one-sided. She is the one who has to walk away from her job. She is the one who is facing all the questions about her credibility.

Hill said

Dianna Russini rescues a man from car accident

Russini shared a screenshot of her resignation letter to The Athletic on Twitter on April 15. One day later, the 43-year-old saved an older man and a dog from an overturned car in New Jersey.

Dianna Russini, Mike Vrabel Reportedly Coordinated Response to NY Post Story
Dianna Russini (Image Sports Illustrated)

On Wednesday, Russini was driving in Wyckoff, New Jersey, when she witnessed a car crash. A person with knowledge of the incident told Page Six that Russini helped a 73-year-old man got out of the overturned jeep safely, along with his canine.

The publication reports that Russini climbed on top of the side of the car and, with the help of a bystander, saved the dog. The jeep driver was reportedly taken to the nearby hospital for head and shoulder pain. The dog seemed fine and was subsequently handed over to a friend of the old man.

Russini is married to Kevin Goldschmidt since 2020 and has two kids. She spent nearly a decade at ESPN before joining The Athletic in 2023.

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