The Athletic's internal investigation found that the relationship between former NFL reporter Dianna Russini and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was in "clear violation" of the newsroom's standards.
The outlet, which is owned by the New York Times, released a report Thursday detailing the findings of a five-months-long investigation. Mike Semel, the Athletic's editorial director for standards and quality, wrote that he was unable to find signs of clear bias or determine the exact "nature of their relationship", but said it gave the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Related: NFL reporter Russini resigns amid 'self-feeding speculation' over photos with Patriots' Vrabel
"Russini's relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic's standards," Semel wrote. "Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed."
"I've not found a clear link to conclude that Russini used her platform to help promote Vrabel or help his teams during her time at The Athletic. That said, there are examples of Russini writing glowingly of Vrabel that in hindsight are awkward or even uncomfortable," he added.
#found
The outlet, which is owned by the New York Times, released a report Thursday detailing the findings of a five-months-long investigation. Mike Semel, the Athletic's editorial director for standards and quality, wrote that he was unable to find signs of clear bias or determine the exact "nature of their relationship", but said it gave the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Related: NFL reporter Russini resigns amid 'self-feeding speculation' over photos with Patriots' Vrabel
"Russini's relationship with Vrabel was in clear violation of The Athletic's standards," Semel wrote. "Regardless of whether the relationship was romantic, it was a breach and should have been disclosed."
"I've not found a clear link to conclude that Russini used her platform to help promote Vrabel or help his teams during her time at The Athletic. That said, there are examples of Russini writing glowingly of Vrabel that in hindsight are awkward or even uncomfortable," he added.
#found
11 days ago
