The New York Times just hit us with the fake punt, punt. Russini benched after all

Every time I begin working on a project unrelated to Russini and Vrabel, more news breaks. This one’s also too juicy to leave untouched. So here we go –

After initially standing by her, The New York Times is now investigating Dianna Russini’s coverage and will not allow her to report for the outlet until the conclusion of their probe.

You’ve seen the photos by now. Russini and Vrabel holding hands, spending time by the pool. Reports of them dancing on the rooftop of a private bungalow with a breathtaking view of Arizona’s Brins Mesa mountain range. I’ve been tiptoeing around a lawsuit on this topic, but damn it if that doesn’t sound like a romantic trip. And when two people go on a trip like that together, without their spouses – most people call that an affair.

That’s likely not what The Athletic (Owned by The New York Times) is looking into, because why bother? Short of a leaked text conversation, a dirty video leak, or more photos dropping, you’re probably not finding any hard proof.

The Athletic is more likely looking into the possibility that Dianna Russini’s reporting was abused to benefit the Patriots. If Russini broke stories to deliberately communicate New England’s desire to trade or sign players on other teams, that’s not only a violation of the league’s tampering rules, which would land the Patriots in hot water – but an outright ethical concern regarding journalistic integrity.

Journalists breaking stories are supposed to either remain impartial or disclose their conflict of interests. Nobody cares if Fireman Ed says the Jets want to trade for Justin Jefferson. Even if he got that information from a valid source, his conflict is known, so the public can fairly make up their own mind on whether to trust his reporting or not. With Russini, her conflict (if there is one) was not disclosed.

*Disclaimer – Fireman Ed did not provide a comment for this article.

Regardless of whether The Athletic finds any proof of Russini abusing her position or not, they have a mess on their hands. On X, Russini attempted sharing an article by another writer at The Athletic, early on Thursday Morning. That went about as expected – hilarious! But it does point to a bigger issue. Even if Russini’s name gets cleared, the internet isn’t forgetting. Anything she posts is going to have comment sections roasting her for this alleged affair, regardless of proof.

Fair or not (and the answer is not), the consequences aren’t as bad for Vrabel. Sure, if he wins this season people will question how much insider information he may have gotten from Russini. They’ll question how much misinformation he pushed out. But at the end of the day, as long as he wins – nobody cares.

For a journalist the standards are different. Winning isn’t enough. How you got the information, how accurate the information is, and who that information is going to – matters just as much as the story itself.

Bottom line, this is going to follow Russini no matter what the investigation finds, and The Athletic likely knows that already.