Dianna Russini still had a couple of months remaining on her contract before stepping down from her senior NFL insider role at The Athletic, a move that came amid scrutiny over her being spotted with the New England Patriots head coach, Mike Vrabel. Even so, executive editor Steven Ginsberg has confirmed that the investigation will continue despite her exit. As that unfolded, Charlotte Wilder and Madeline Hill of The Athletic’s The Sports Gossip Show weighed in on Russini’s treatment, drawing comparisons to Adam Schefter’s “Unpublished Article” controversy.

“Adam Schefter sent a full, unpublished draft of his story about the NFL lockout, which was going on at the time, to former team president (of the Washington football team) Bruce Allen,” Wilder said. “A reporter ostensibly sent the president of an NFL team a draft of an unpublished article, and the email said, ‘Please let me know if you see anything that should be added, changed, tweaked.’ Schefter referred to Bruce Allen as Mr. Editor.”

Schefter’s controversy dates back to 2011 during the NFL lockout. However, it became public in October 2021, when around 650,000 emails were collected in a legal investigation tied to the Washington football team, and some of them were leaked to the public.

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At the time, Schefter maintained that verifying information with sources is a standard part of the reporting process. Given the complexity of the lockout, he said he took the extra step of sharing the draft while seeking feedback. However, critics, including Wilder in the context of the Russini-Vrabel situation, pointed to it as a breach of journalistic standards.

Typically, reporting involves gathering information from sources and confirming facts or details to ensure accuracy. What it does not involve is sharing a complete, unpublished article with a source prior to publication. That distinction is central to the comparison being made, especially as Russini remains under investigation.

“So my question with the whole coverage of this is how is Dianna Russini interlocking fingers with Mike Vrabel different from Adam Schefter sending an email to a former team president with a full draft of an unpublished story and saying, ‘Mr. editor, are there any changes you’d like me to make?” Wilder added. “So the way that this is being talked about is Adam Schefter still has a job. He wasn’t suspended. Dianna is under investigation.”

For years, Schefter has built working relationships with team owners and executives, often receiving news directly before it is publicly announced. That dynamic is part of how NFL insider reporting operates. At the same time, however, it can also create situations where professional boundaries are tested.

That context also explains why, despite initially defending the process as fact-checking, Schefter later acknowledged that sharing the full draft crossed a line. In a statement released via ESPN’s official X account, he said:

“Fair questions are being asked about my reporting approach on an NFL lockout story from 10 years ago,” he said. “Just to clarify, it’s common practice to verify facts of a story with sources before you publish in order to be as accurate as possible.

“In this case, I took the rare step of sending the full story in advance because of the complex nature of the collective bargaining talks. It was a step too far and, looking back, I shouldn’t have done it. The criticism being levied is fair. With that said, I want to make this perfectly clear: in no way did I, or would I, cede editorial control or hand over final say about a story to anyone, ever.”

Within that broader context, Wilder’s comparison focuses on the difference in outcomes. Schefter continued in his role without a suspension. Russini, meanwhile, was removed from active NFL reporting during the review process and later submitted her resignation, with the investigation still ongoing.

Dianna Russini resigned from her post amid an ongoing investigation

Less than a week after she was spotted with Mike Vrabel at an Arizona resort, per a Page Six report, and just days after being removed from The Athletic’s active NFL reporting, Dianna Russini has submitted her official resignation. In a statement released on her ‘X’ handle, she wrote:

“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand behind every story I have ever published. When the Page Six item first appeared, The Athletic supported me unequivocally, expressed confidence in my work, and pride in my journalism. For that, I am grateful. In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.

“Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept. Rather than allowing this to continue, I have decided to step aside now—before my current contract expires on June 30. I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”

That statement came against the backdrop of editorial standards tied to The New York Times. It notes that “relationships with sources require sound judgment and self-discipline to prevent the fact or appearance of partiality,” while also stating that romantic involvement with a source creates an appearance of bias and must be disclosed.

That said, Russini’s resignation followed photographs of her with Vrabel at the Ambiente resort in Sedona, Arizona. The New York Post’s Page Six reported it first on April 7. Subsequent reports noted that the images showed the two together ahead of the league’s annual meetings in Phoenix.

However, both Russini and Vrabel pushed back against the reports. She told the Post that the pictures “don’t represent the group of six people who were hanging out during the day.” Vrabel, meanwhile, stated that “These photos show a completely innocent interaction, and any suggestion otherwise is laughable. This doesn’t deserve any further response.”

Initially, The Athletic stood firmly behind Russini. The outlet described the reports as “misleading and lack essential context.” However, it later opened an internal investigation into her conduct and subsequently removed her from active NFL reporting.

Following her resignation, Ginsberg confirmed that the investigation will continue despite her departure. He noted that leadership had “taken this matter seriously from the moment that we learned about it.”

With Russini now stepping away from The Athletic amid the ongoing review, the situation has only gained wider attention, bringing renewed focus to a career that spans more than a decade.