When photos surfaced online showing Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini holding hands, The Athletic investigated whether Russini had violated the company’s code of conduct. What began as a wave of questions has now reached its conclusion, with the investigation finally putting an end to a saga that has lingered for months.

And now, attention has shifted to Mike Vrabel. Media members and fans alike wanted to hear directly from the New England Patriots head coach. What did Vrabel make of the situation?

“No, I don’t have any reaction,” said Vrabel when asked about The Athletic’s findings. “We’ve moved on and focused on Seattle and focused on the Patriots and focused on getting better this week. Try to just say that I’ve moved on and excited about this new opportunity.”

Vrabel has broken his silence on the controversy months after Page Six first released photos of him with Russini at an Arizona resort. The pair were reportedly spotted holding hands, hugging, and, in one instance, sitting together by the pool. The controversy intensified when Page Six published photos of the two from years earlier, including images from Tribeca Tavern in New York City in 2020 and a private boat trip in Putnam County, Tennessee, in June 2021. But what did The Athletic’s new report conclude?

The Athletic‘s investigation ultimately found that Russini had violated the outlet’s standards by failing to disclose her relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.

“Specifically, when it comes to The Athletic’s standards, Russini was noncompliant,” the report read. “We neither completed an investigation nor reached any conclusion about the nature of the full relationship between Vrabel and Russini, but the totality of the public photographs are enough to conclude a violation of company policy.”

Editorial director for standards and editorial quality Mike Semel reportedly examined 903 articles, 77 videos, 204 episodes of Russini’s podcast, and multiple appearances on other platforms. At the same time, the findings also reported that, for now, the full nature of the Russini-Vrabel relationship remains unknown.

That said, it was also concluded that the vast majority of Russini’s work for The Athletic had nothing to do with Vrabel or the Patriots.

• Only around 5 percent of Russini’s 903 pieces were in some way about Vrabel or his team. That works out to roughly 46 stories mentioning him or one of his teams.
• None of those articles were scoops.

“Russini should have disclosed to The Athletic the nature of her relationship with Vrabel to allow editors to assess the kinds of stories on which she should have been working, if any,” said Semel after confirming he didn’t investigate Russini’s personal conduct, as she’s no longer an employee.

Russini resigned on April 14, 2026. For Vrabel, however, the fallout didn’t have similar professional consequences. Neither the NFL nor the Patriots have handed him any discipline over the controversy. Vrabel acknowledged that his actions had created a distraction.

“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them,” Vrabel said in a statement in April. “In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend.”

What is Dianna Russini doing now?

Despite the controversy surrounding her, Russini appears to have no intention of walking away from sports media. According to Front Office Sports‘ latest report, she “absolutely” wants to return to the job she knows best and has already held discussions about several potential opportunities.

Those possibilities reportedly range from a pro football insider role to becoming an opinionist or personality. FOS also suggested her next move could come sooner rather than later.

However, no further details are available as of now.

Someone like Matthew Berry, the owner of Fantasy Life, who also considers Russini a friend, could employ her. For instance, when asked in August if he would hire her, he mentioned:

“The question would become, can we afford her? What is she going to do for the company? Because we don’t really break news.

“I will tell you that every time I was on ESPN, and we had her do any of my shows, she would come on my podcast, she would come on the fantasy show, she did the Sunday morning show. She always came prepared, energetic. She was nice to all the producers. Showed up on time, prepared, gave a great performance. Whatever we needed.”

Perhaps like Berry, other business owners could bank on Russini’s sports media experience and football knowledge.