Dianna Russini’s relationship with Mike Vrabel was ‘clear violation,’ The Athletic says

The Athletic has concluded its investigation into former NFL reporter Dianna Russini following her resignation in April on the heels of published photos of her and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.

Conducted by Mike Semel, an editorial director for standards and quality at The Athletic, the investigation ultimately concluded that Russini failed to disclose her conflict of interest regarding Vrabel.

"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."

Semel wrote that he reviewed 903 stories, 204 podcasts and 77 videos before releasing his report. He concluded "the vast majority of Russini’s work for The Athletic had nothing to do with Vrabel, the teams he was coaching or the players the team was pursuing." Semel added that most of Russini's coverage of Vrabel and the Patriots was "transactional and newsy." The review covered her journalistic work, not personal conduct, since she resigned from the company April 14, a week after Page Six first published photos of her and Vrabel holding hands at an Arizona resort.

"When first confronted with the photos by The New York Post…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/