{"id":207752,"date":"2026-04-15T10:26:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T10:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/nfl-reporter-dianna-russini-resigns-from-the-athletic-over-photos-of-her-with-patriots-coach-mike-vrabel-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T10:26:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T10:26:31","slug":"nfl-reporter-dianna-russini-resigns-from-the-athletic-over-photos-of-her-with-patriots-coach-mike-vrabel-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/nfl-reporter-dianna-russini-resigns-from-the-athletic-over-photos-of-her-with-patriots-coach-mike-vrabel-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL reporter Dianna Russini resigns from The Athletic over photos of her with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

news Alerts
There are no new alerts at this time
NFL reporter Dianna Russini has resigned from The Athletic \u2014 a sports journalism brand owned by The New York Times \u2014 less than a week after photos of her and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel<\/a> at an Arizona hotel drew scrutiny, a spokesperson for the Times confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday.
Subscribe to read this story ad-free
Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.
In photos the New York Post published last Tuesday, Vrabel and Russini could be seen hanging out by a pool, in a hot tub and on a rooftop deck at the Ambiente luxury hotel in Sedona. Two of the photos showed them with intertwined hands. Vrabel and Russini are both married to other people.
\u201cI have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,\u201d Russini said in a letter sent Tuesday to Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg, according to a screenshot she posted on X<\/a>.
\u201cWhen the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism. For that I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts,\u201d Russini wrote in the letter.
\u201cMoreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept,\u201d she added.
\u201cRather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now \u2014 before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career,\u201d she wrote.
The Times reported over the weekend that The Athletic was investigating Russini\u2019s conduct. The news of the probe came after Ginsberg said the photos were \u201cmisleading and lack essential context.\u201d
\u201cThese were public interactions in front of many people,\u201d he said. \u201cDianna is a premier journalist covering the N.F.L. and we\u2019re proud to have her at The Athletic.\u201d
In a message to Athletic staff members Tuesday, Ginsberg said the website\u2019s leadership has \u201ctaken this matter seriously from the moment that we learned about it.\u201d He also acknowledged the shifting messages from the publication.
\u201cWhen this situation was brought to our attention last week, 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,\u201d Ginsberg said in the message, which was provided by sources at The Athletic.
\u201cAs additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation,\u201d Ginsberg wrote.
The Athletic\u2019s editorial guidelines<\/a> say its journalists should \u201cavoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest\u201d so as not to undermine their credibility and authority.
Vrabel previously denied any allegation of impropriety. In a statement to the New York Post\u2019s Page Six, he said: \u201cThese photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn\u2019t deserve any further response.\u201d
Russini is considered one of the sports journalism industry\u2019s leading NFL reporters. She was a reporter for NBC New York early in her career before she moved on to ESPN. She left ESPN in 2023 for a role as the Athletic\u2019s football insider.
Daniel Arkin is a senior reporter at NBC News.
© 2026 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

news AlertsThere are no new alerts at this timeNFL reporter Dianna Russini has resigned from The Athletic \u2014 a sports journalism brand owned by The New York Times \u2014 less than a week after photos of her and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at an Arizona hotel drew scrutiny, a spokesperson for the Times […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":207753,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-207752","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-us","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207752\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/207753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}