The Athletic's Executive Editor, Steven Ginsberg, delivered a 10-minute statement to his staff during an all-hands meeting, addressing the Dianna Russini controversy.
The alleged affair scandal involving Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini continues to be one of the most talked-about topics in recent times, especially in the sports entertainment world. The whole ordeal began when Page Six dropped photos of the two being affectionate, like holding hands, hugging and lounging together at a luxury resort in Sedona, Arizona. Within a week of the pictures being released, Dianna received so much backlash that she resigned from her job as a reporter and insider for The Athletic. Now, as the controversy continues to grow due to repeated leaks, it seems that The Athletic's executive editor, Steven Ginsberg, had to give a statement to his staff.
When the photos of the New England Patriots' head coach, Mike Vrabel and longtime NFL reporter, Dianna Russini, arose at the beginning of March 2026, they were not the only ones who denied any form of impropriety between them. At the time, Dianna's employer, The Athletic, had also strongly denied the claims and backed Dianna. In a statement to the New York Post, Steven Ginsberg, the executive editor of The Athletic, said, “These photos are misleading and lack essential context. These were public integrations in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL, and we are proud to have her at The Athletic.” Looking at the recent developments in the Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel controversy, their initial statements look unfortunate to say the least.
Not long after The Athletic publicly backed Dianna, they reversed course and opened an investigation into her conduct. While the investigation is ongoing, Dianna has already handed in her resignation. Now, in the wake of her departure, The Athletic had its first all-hands meeting with its staff since Page Six first broke Mike and Dianna's story. According to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, Steven Ginsberg delivered a 10-minute prepared statement to his staff members on Wednesday, April 29, 2026. According to the report, Steven's statement acknowledged that “communications could have been more clear.
Furthermore, Steven stated that the internal investigation “is ongoing and expected to be lengthy.” Reportedly, it is being conducted by New York Times standards editor, Mike Semel. While Steven did not answer questions after he finished delivering his statement, he told the publication’s staff that if they wanted, they could contact him directly later. One reason The Athletic's investigation into Dianna Russini's conduct could take some time is that, although she had been with the publication since 2023, there is already evidence that she had been close to Mike Vrabel since 2020, if not earlier. To make things harder, Dianna recently deleted her X (formerly Twitter) account and made her Instagram account private.
Dianna resigned from her job at The Athletic on April 14, 2026, by sending a letter to the executive editor, Steven Ginsberg. In her letter, which was obtained by the Associated Press, she wrote about covering the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout her career. She said that she stands by every story she has published to date. She thanked her employer for unequivocally supporting her, expressing confidence in her work, and taking pride in her journalism when the Page Six item first appeared.
However, when it comes to the media, Dianna wrote that they “have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.” The media had also constantly disregarded the review process that The Athletic was trying to complete. This is why, as the situation continued to escalate with repeated leaks, Dianna said she had no interest in submitting to a public inquiry. She added:
“Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now — 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.”
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