The Athletic's Dianna Russini investigation conclusion leads to enraged fans: "The report is basically useless"
Several months after her resignation, Russini's former employer has concluded their investigation into her cheating scandal with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
It has been nearly five months since the initial report of Dianna Russini 's alleged affair with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel surfaced. It only took a week for Russini to resign from The Athletic , in the midst of what her employer called an investigation into the matter.
Apparently, the in-depth investigation from The Athletic into Russini's relationship with Vrabel took five months to complete . On Thursday, the Editorial Director for Standards & Quality at the company, Mike Semel , announced that the investigation had finally concluded.
Semel notes that the investigation included all of Russini's written, podcast, and on-camera work for The Athletic . He also mentions that he spoke with " 14 Athletic staffers who had worked most closely with Russini at the publication ".
The Athletic's investigation into Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel scandal leaves a lot to be desired
The ultimate conclusion of the report: " Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic’s standards. Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed. Specifically, when it comes to The Athletic’s standards, Russini was noncompliant. "
Semel didn't outright say she treated Vrabel differently from other coaches or players in her coverage , but outlined three things that stood out: Access, Accuracy, Bias . Semel raised doubt about how she got some exclusive stories, as well as her effusive praise of Vrabel.
While the investigation took a very long time, fans came away feeling very unsatisfied by its conclusion . They simply don't think anything new was outlined in the report.
" Lolol so a worthless investigation that didn’t even investigate the right evidence. Nice work guys! "
" Almost like this investigation was done with the sole purpose of exonerating a guilty party "
" Sooooooo the report is basically useless lol we coulda done the same report "
" 'No access to Russini’s phone'. Ok so it’s useless and should be tossed "
The Athletic hasn't exactly come away with an improved reputation following the report.
