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Report: Internal investigation of Dianna Russini is still "a few weeks" away from conclusion

Jun 10, 2026Mike FlorioPro Football Talk

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It's been more than two months since the story of the offseason landed out of the blue, courtesy of photos from the New York Post and (more importantly) clear and strong denials from the people involved. Although the drip-drip of worthwhile developments has ended (that hasn't stopped some from using anything/everything they can to harvest clicks and video views), there's one unresolved issue that apparently will remain that way, into the summer. Via Oli Coleman of the New York Post , The Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg recently provided an internal update regarding its investigation into the reporting of Dianna Russini, given the evidence that emerged of her relationship with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. “ It’s going to take a few more weeks ,” Ginsberg reportedly said. “There’s just a lot to go through, and we obviously want to take our time and be careful doing that. We will update everybody when we get to the end of that. We’ve also said that if we find anything that needs to be corrected, we will correct it along the way." In her April 14 resignation letter, Russini repeated her strong denial of wrongdoing that blamed the media for engaging in " self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts ." The Athletic continued its investigation after her departure. It's unclear why it has taken so long for The Athletic , which is owned by the New York Times , to finish its investigation. As Coleman notes, the delay is creating internal concerns. For now, it appears that The Athletic intends to continue its investigation, to conclude it, and to share its outcome. Even if The Athletic doesn't publish any final report, chances are that someone within the broader Times apparatus will get it, and leak it. Even without publication of the report (or a leak of it), The Athletic may go back and "correct" past reporting. It's a delicate balance for The Athletic and the Times . Photos of Vrabel and Russini from March 2020, which emerged after her resignation, raise questions about the quality of the vetting process and/or the oversight of Russini. Basically, what did management know, what should it have known, when did it know it, and when should have been known? A full and transparent investigation could make the publications, which already look bad as to their initial statement on the matter, come off even worse. Brushing it all under the rug won't be acceptable, either. The issue highlights pre-existing tensions between the Times and The Athletic . Will the employees of The Athletic be held to the same standard as employees of the Times ? Hovering over everything The Athletic says or does is the possibility of litigation, if Russini continues to adhere to her denials and is willing to back them up by filing a defamation case against anyone who says otherwise.