"Harder to get answers": Dianna Russini’s departure creates unexpected roadblock in Mike Vrabel investigation, says NFL insider Mike Florio
More than two months have passed since The Athletic launched an internal investigation into Dianna Russini's alleged relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. Russini left the publication shortly after. But the story has refused to go away. The probe is still ongoing, sources co
By Prantik Prabal Roy
More than two months have passed since The Athletic launched an internal investigation into Dianna Russini's alleged relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
Russini left the publication shortly after.
But the story has refused to go away.
The probe is still ongoing, sources confirmed as recently as June 18.
And now, according to NFL insider Mike Florio, the outlet faces a serious obstacle in getting it done.Why is The Athletic struggling to investigate Dianna Russini?The core problem is straightforward.
Dianna Russini no longer works there.Florio laid it out plainly on a recent "Pro Football Talk" segment: "She doesn't work there, so it makes it harder for them to get answers from her."That tracks.
Since publishing her resignation letter on April 14, Russini has gone almost completely silent.
Her X account is gone.
She has not made any public comments about the situation beyond her letter, in which she called the coverage of the affair "unmoored from the facts" and pushed back hard against any suggestion her reporting was compromised.
That kind of defiance does not leave much room for cooperation with an internal inquiry.The Athletic has been careful to frame this as a review of editorial processes and standards, not personal conduct.
That framing matters.
It gives the outlet some flexibility in what it ultimately chooses to release.
Not every finding has to go public.
Some conclusions may stay internal.But The Athletic has also pledged to keep its employees informed.
And that is where things get complicated.
Florio flagged the obvious risk: "Whenever The Athletic says whatever it says, and they probably will announce their findings publicly, even if they may be inviting a lawsuit from Dianna Russini.
Because whatever they provide to their employees privately, somebody's going to leak it.
And they've already committed to transparency with the employees."He is not wrong.
The moment internal findings reach a wider audience, whether through an official release or a leak, the legal exposure grows.
If the report implies Dianna Russini's journalism was shaped by her personal relationship with Vrabel without concrete evidence to back it up, a defamation suit becomes a real possibility.
And given the way this story has escalated, nobody involved should expect a quiet conclusion.Reporter Michael McCarthy confirmed on X that the investigation remains active.
The Athletic has not signalled when or whether it will publish findings publicly.For now, the outlet is caught between two bad options: say too little and leave the story unresolved, or say too much and end up in court.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates.
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