The Athletic has released the findings after its inquiry into former reporter Dianna Russini and Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
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Russini previously worked for The Athletic but resigned after multiple photos surfaced of her and Vrabel at a luxury resort in Arizona. Photos showed them holding hands, embracing, and, at one point, in a pool together. The two are married, but to other people.
"Russini's relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic's standards," the finding stated. "Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed.
"Specifically, when it comes to The Athletic's standards, Russini was noncompliant."
The Athletic has a standard of conduct for its employees, which is available for the public to consume. This editorial standard covers numerous topics, such as recording interviews, using sources in reporting, disclosing employment with The Athletic, and making it clear that the outlet does not have an agenda.
Mike Semel, The Athletic's editorial director for standards and editorial quality, is the person who conducted the inquiry. He reviewed 903 stories and 77 videos posted on The Ahtletic.
He also reviewed 204 episodes of Russini's Scoop City podcast and 25 appearances she made on other media platforms. He interviewed 14 staff members of the publication who had worked with Russini.
Semel concluded that around 5% of pieces published on The Athletic by the veteran reporter involved the Patriots or Vrabel. Roughly a third involved transactions made by the team, but none fell into the category of being an "exclusive" by The Athletic.
"Most of what Russini wrote about Vrabel or the Patriots was transactional and newsy," Semel wrote. "In addition, I've not found a clear link to conclude that Russini used her platform to promote Vrabel or help his teams during her time at The Athletic."
However, Semel noted that the reporter wrote "glowingly" about Vrabel in some instances, which are now "awkward or even uncomfortable."
Overall, Semel noted that the majority of Russini's work did not involve the Patriots or Vrabel. She only wrote one of the three in-depth stories about Vrabel, in particular. Although another story fell into a questionable category due to her hands-off involvement.
Semel wrote that one story covering a year of Vrabel's life would likely not have happened if not for the connection between the head coach and the reporter. She didn't author the story, but she brokered a meeting between the reporter and Vrabel.
"The story itself meets Athletic standards, even if the access is questionable," Semel wrote.
Semel wrote in the report that Russini did not disclose a clear conflict of interest. As a result, he suggested some ways in which The Athletic could tighten standards to avoid similar situations in the future. This includes clarifying the conflict of interest guidelines and clarifying and strongly enforcing the sourcing standards.
