Dianna Russini scandal (Getty Images)
The Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel controversy has refused to go away quietly, and now it has a new and unexpected voice pushing it back into the spotlight. Former Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons went on record Monday night questioning why ESPN was willing to address Jonathon Cooper’s domestic violence arrest on air during Monday Night Football but has not given the same treatment to the Russini story. Simmons was direct. So was his frustration. And for a lot of NFL observers, his point landed.
The Athletic conducted a five-month review of 903 articles, 77 videos, and 204 podcast episodes. Their relationship became a story when The Athletic, her own employer, launched an internal investigation into whether her coverage of the league and Vrabel specifically was compromised by an undisclosed personal relationship.
“We’ve moved on,” he said. It is a fair question. Cooper’s arrest, while serious, involves a player. The Russini matter involves a reporter who was covering the same league, voting for its awards, and was reportedly in a relationship with the head coach of one of its teams during that time. It concluded that Russini had violated newsroom standards by not disclosing her relationship with Vrabel. The investigation noted some of her previous coverage of Vrabel was described as unusually positive, though reviewers found little direct evidence that it influenced her work in a meaningful way. It is a documented finding about journalism ethics at a major outlet. And yet ESPN, where these types of NFL stories typically get loud and sustained coverage, has been notably quiet on it. Russini was one of the more prominent NFL reporters in the business, covering the league for The Athletic after years at ESPN. Vrabel is currently the head coach of the New England Patriots. Vrabel, when asked about it, kept things brief. Whether ESPN has any obligation to cover this story is a separate debate. But the argument being made by Simmons and Rodgers is not really about obligation. It is about consistency. If a player’s off-field conduct earns national airtime, the question of whether a reporter’s undisclosed relationship shaped her coverage of the league deserves at least a conversation.