The Athletic’s response to tabloid photographs of NFL insider Dianna Russini hobnobbing with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel at an adults-only resort has upset staff at the website’s parent company, The New York Times.
As reported by The New York Post’s Page Six, Times staff and leadership sources are bothered by a ‘reflexive’ defense of Russini from The Athletic – something sources say reflects poorly on them as journalists.
Russini has since resigned over the scandal, while denying any improper conduct and defending her reporting. That resignation came as a surprise after The Athletic initially rushed to her defense when confronted with photographs of her hugging, laughing, and lounging poolside with Vrabel at a Sedona, Arizona retreat.
‘These photos are misleading and lack essential context,’ The Athletic’s executive editor, Stephen Ginsburg, told Page Six in response to the Vrabel-Russini pictures. ‘These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at the Athletic.’
But as Status News and now Page Six have reported, that passionate response belied internal concerns about Russini’s behavior and how it would reflect on Times staff. Previously, insiders told Status News that The Athletic’s response to the suggestive photos was ‘unnecessarily messy,’ ‘reckless,’ ‘premature’ and ‘intentionally sneaky.’
As The Daily Mail previously reported, the Times launched an investigation into the photos when contacted by Page Six after the Russini-Vrabel interaction on March 28 in Sedona. She was later placed on leave, The Daily Mail learned, before ultimately resigning on Tuesday. Her contract was reportedly set to expire at the end of June.
Mike Vrabel (L) and Dianna Russini (R) have denied suggestions that they’re having an affair
The two visited a hotel, Ambiente, which is an adults-only venue near Sedona, Arizona
The New York Times has since reported on the controversy while mentioning its own policy forbidding its journalists from ‘any activities that pose a conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict.’
Spokespeople for The New York Times and The Athletic declined to comment to the Daily Mail on the controversy last week. The Daily Mail has since reached out to request comment on the reported disharmony over The Athletic’s response to the controversy.
Vrabel, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year, and Russini, a top reporter for The Athletic, are married to other people with whom they share two sons.
They have each issued statements confirming the March 28 interaction but have denied any improper conduct, with Vrabel specifically calling the story ‘laughable.’ Russini told Page Six she and Vrabel were at the resort with larger groups of people.
Russini has faced criticism from both men and women inside and outside the media universe. Most notably, Russini was criticized this week in a column from award-winning USA Today writer Nancy Armour.
‘Russini made it harder for every single woman in sports, regardless of what we cover, to do our jobs,’ Armour wrote. ‘By risking her own credibility, she’s put ours in jeopardy, too.’
A defiant Russini has insisted her resignation does not mean she crossed the line with Vrabel
She’s also received support.
Speaking on the ‘Beadle & Decker’ podcast Monday, former ESPN personality and current San Antonio Spurs broadcaster Michelle Beadle issued a warning to Russini’s critics in the media. In particular, Beadle took aim at the women who have continued to criticize Russini for appearing to fraternize with someone she’s reported on for years.
‘I love Dianna, and I consider her a friend,’ Beadle told co-host Cody Decker.
‘And I don’t want to hear ‘journalistic integrity,” she continued. ‘Stop. Just stop. I’ll tell you where I’m most disappointed. Poor decisions were made; we’ve all made them.
‘What I find interesting is the number of female sportspeople who have felt very comfortable in getting out there and blasting her. Ladies, at some point, I will write a book. And the more I see you yapping out there about all this high and mighty self-righteous, I know a lot about a lot of you. So be careful.’
The intended targets of Beadle’s threat remain unidentified.
Vrabel, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year, has not addressed the media about the controversy. The married father of two did not attend the Patriots’ pre-draft media availability.
