Steven Ginsberg, the executive editor at The Athletic, has finally addressed the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel controversy with staff, according to a report by Front Office Sports.
Ginsberg has been under fire since the New York Post published suggestive photos of Russini, The Athletic’s NFL insider, and the New England Patriots head coach holding hands and hanging poolside at an adults-only resort in Arizona earlier this month.
Although Ginsberg initially defended Russini, calling the photos ‘misleading,’ she was placed on leave by the Times amid an investigation into her work. She has since resigned from The Athletic weeks before her contract was reportedly set to expire.
She has denied any wrongdoing, while standing by all of her NFL coverage dating back to her years at ESPN, when she frequently covered Vrabel during his previous stint with the Tennessee Titans.
But her pleas of innocence came under suspicion last week when the Post published six-year-old photos of Vrabel and Russini kissing at a New York bar. Since then, The Daily Mail has obtained photos of Russini and Vrabel hanging at a Biloxi, Mississippi casino in 2024.
Now, with Russini’s credibility as a reporter under the microscope, Ginsberg has admitted that The Athletic’s communication on the controversy could have been clearer, according to FOS.
Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini are pictured years before the Post scandal erupted this month
A new photo emerged of Russini and Vrabel at the Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi, reportedly taken on January 31, 2024 – just weeks after he was fired by the Titans
He also mentioned the investigation into Russini’s reporting that was previously reported by The Daily Mail and other outlets. That probe is being led by standards and editorial quality editor Mike Semel and it is expected to be lengthy, according to FOS.
Ginsberg did not take questions after addressing staff and spoke for about 10 minutes, according to FOS.
Another source told The Daily Mail that the speech was closer to five minutes and included Ginsberg’s compliments to The Athletic staff for their recent work.
The New York Times declined to comment to The Daily Mail for this story.
Similar to Ginsberg, Vrabel has also done an about-face after initially calling the resort photos ‘laughable’ in a statement to the Post.
Last week, Vrabel addressed media and announced he would miss the third day of the NFL Draft on Saturday to attend a counselling session with his family.
Russini has covered Vrabel since his days with the Titans, when she still worked for ESPN
Speaking on Thursday, just over 30 minutes before the NFL Draft got underway, he said: ‘I understand that there are questions, but I take accountability for my actions and the actions that caused a distraction to the people that I care most about, my family, this football team, the organization and our fans.
‘That’s going to start, that has started, and that’ll continue this weekend and it’ll continue for however long it takes for me to give them and to complete that promise of giving them the best version of me possible.
‘My priorities are my family and this football team – and in that order – and there’s a balance there that I am going to create. My family needs me this weekend and that’s where I’ll be.’
Vrabel has been married to his wife Jen since 1999. Russini, meanwhile, tied the knot with husband Kevin Goldschmidt in 2020. Both couples have two children.
