The Athletic editor admits mistake in handling of Dianna Russini controversy

There were many mistakes made in the Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini scandal, and an editor at The Athletic admitted things could have been handled better by the company.

Executive editor of The Athletic, Steven Ginsberg, admitted in a statement during a meeting with his staff that “communications could have been more clear,” Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reports.

“The top editor at The Athletic addressed the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel saga in the first general all-hands meeting with the outlet’s staff since the story broke, Front Office Sports has learned,” Glasspiegel wrote.

“On Wednesday, executive editor Steven Ginsberg read a statement that he prepared lasting about 10 minutes, in which he acknowledged that communications could have been more clear,” Glasspiegel added.

Ginsburg went on to tell staff that the investigation into the matter, which is led by the outlet’s editorial director for standards and editorial quality, Mike Semel, continues and figures to be “lengthy.”

What went wrong

Dianna Russini

In the wake of Page Six publishing photos that showed the now-former NFL reporter for The Athletic and the New England Patriots head coach — both of whom are married — together at an affluent resort in Arizona, which led to accusations of an affair and clear conflict of interest, Ginsberg immediately backed Russini in a public statement.

“These photos are misleading and lack essential context. These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL and we’re proud to have her at The Athletic,” Ginsberg told the New York Post.

Initially, Russini and Vrabel both denied any wrongdoing.

Of course, Ginsberg’s statement did not age well, especially after more photos came to light that showed in a New York bar six years earlier, which confirmed there was indeed an affair going on that stretched back years.