Dianna Russini responds to internal review by The Athletic

On Thursday, The Athletic published the long-awaited report of its internal investigation regarding the work of former NFL Insider Dianna Russini. The article did not include a comment from Russini. A separate article from The Athletic does.

“I stand by any and all reporting I’ve ever done in my career,” Russini said in a statement to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, while also declining to be interviewed.

The issue wasn’t the accuracy of her reporting, even though The Athletic pointed out her claim that a firing of then-Titans coach Mike Vrabel was “not happening,” before he was fired. The problem was that “Russini’s relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation” of the publication’s standards.

Either way, it’s the first comment she has provided on the matter since her April 14 resignation letter. It remains to be seen whether she’ll fully address the situation, before or after taking another job in sports media.