Following the controversy around spotting New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the former opted out of appearing at the pre-draft press conference. The latest reports now claim that Russini has resigned from her position at The Athletic “effective immediately.”

On Tuesday, she sent a resignation letter to The Athletic Executive Editor Steven Ginsberg, a letter that The Associated Press later obtained.

“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published,” wrote Dianna Russini in her resignation letter.

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Russini’s career in sports journalism spans over 15 years. She worked for NBC and ESPN before joining The Athletic in 2023. She has hosted podcasts for The Athletic and broken various important stories. Her contract was about to expire on June 30, but she chose to step aside now and “refuse to lend it (the narrative around her) further oxygen.”

On March 28, Vrabel and Russini were spotted at the Ambiente Sedona hotel in Arizona, lying on separate patios by the pool and having breakfast. The reports came in the second week of April. The Athletic’s executive editor, Steven Ginsberg, initially claimed that the platform was fully supporting Russini after he received a “detailed explanation” at the same time performing a review.

At that time, Ginsberg claimed that the images were “misleading and lack essential context” and called Russini “a premier journalist” according to a statement by the Post.

However, a few days later, The New York Times confirmed that Russini’s conduct was being investigated after “additional information emerged.” The former employee was reportedly taken off reporting duty during the investigation. Even though Russini has now resigned, The Athletic will continue to review her work.

Russini also mentioned in her letter that several media outlets have reported different narratives on the situation. “In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts,” Russini said in a letter sent Tuesday to Ginsberg.

While there is an ongoing investigation into Russini’s work, in the meantime, let’s take a look at how she started.

A look back at Russini’s acclaimed career

A New York City native, Russini’s competitive drive was evident early on as a soccer player at George Mason University. After graduating with a communication degree in 2005, she quickly made a name for herself back home, becoming the youngest reporter in WNBC’s history.

Later, she moved to Seattle to work as an anchor and reporter for Comcast SportsNet Northwest to cover sports. By that time, she had built a strong local news foundation, with stints at News 12 Westchester and several major NBC affiliates like WRC-TV, WNBC, and WVIT. Her work in Washington, D.C. caught the attention of Disney executives, leading to her job at ESPN in 2015.

At ESPN, she worked as a SportsCenter anchor, NFL analyst, and insider. She was also a sideline reporter for ESPN’s XFL Saturday afternoon games, alongside Tom Luginbill. After working for ESPN for almost eight years, The Athletic came knocking, and she accepted the role.