The Athletic has released the findings of its internal review into former NFL insider Dianna Russini’s relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. According to the findings, Russini violated the outlet’s conflict-of-interest rules by failing to disclose her relationship with Vrabel. As the report came to light, Coach Vrabel was recently asked about his reaction to the matter.

“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.

The Athletic initially defended Russini but later opened an investigation into her work as additional pictures were released. Now, after months of investigation, the findings have concluded that while The Athletic did not determine the nature of Russini’s relationship with Vrabel, Russini breached the outlet’s standards.

“Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed.”

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. However, her work with the outlet had nothing to do with the head coach.

“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 at The Athletic.

Russini has since resigned from her post as a senior NFL insider after her photos with Vrabel first surfaced. Vrabel, meanwhile, admitted that he had difficult conversations with his family, coaching staff, team officials, and players.

He acknowledged that his actions had created a distraction. At the same time, the head coach announced that he would begin counseling and step away from the Patriots for Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Now, with the Patriots preparing to open the 2026 regular season, Mike Vrabel is focused on the season ahead.