The Athletic editor says 'new questions were raised' amid Dianna Russini investigation

Dianna Russini, formerly an NFL reporter and insider for The Athletic and, by extension, the New York Times, resigned April 14 amid controversy after pictures of her and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel taken at an Arizona resort last month were published published by the New York Post on April 7. In her resignation letter to The Athletic's executive editor, Steven Ginsberg, she struck an often defiant tone, writing in part: "(C)ommentators 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.

” However in a letter to The Athletic's staff, Ginsberg not only acknowledged Russini's departure but expressed that, during the course of the investigation into her conduct, "new questions were raised. " Here’s what The Athletic editor Steven Ginsberg sent to the company after Dianna Russini’s resignation: pic. twitter.

com/LhdcjHDQDt — Deadspin (@Deadspin) April 14, 2026 Ginsberg had originally expressed support for Russini after the Post's photos showed her and Vrabel in bathing suits poolside as well as hugging on a rooftop at the Ambiente in Sedona, Arizona, days before the NFL's annual league meeting in Phoenix. Both Vrabel, 50, and Russini, 43, are married to other people with whom they have children. "These photos are misleading and lack essential context," Ginsberg said in a statement on April 8.