Accountability and the Lack Thereof

The Vrabel-Russini scandal may have ramifications

While Diana Russini has now resigned from her position with The Athletic in the aftermath of the exposure of her reported affair with New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, her boss is now under fire for his initial response to the reports.

“I’m writing to let you know that Dianna Russini has submitted her resignation from The Athletic, effective immediately. While I can’t share the details of our investigation into Dianna’s conduct, I want to emphasize that the leadership of The Athletic has taken this matter seriously from the moment that we learned about it.

“Our coverage at The Athletic is deeply rooted in our integrity and our commitment to earning the trust of our audience. Our newsroom has thrived because of our core journalistic values, and we will always ensure they are protected.

“When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter. As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation.

“While our investigation into Dianna’s conduct was ongoing, she chose to resign. We will continue a standards review of Dianna’s work that Mike Semel is leading.

“Amid all of this, I want to sincerely thank everyone for continuing to produce the best sports report in the business. I’m looking forward to focusing on our journalism and continuing our momentum.”

It was Ginsberg who provided the initial statement in response to the New York Post securing photos of Russini with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel. “These photos are misleading and lack essential context,” Ginsberg told the Post at the time. “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.”

That initial comment from Ginsberg has become a problem for the publication. Russini’s resignation letter reminded Ginsberg that he supported her “unequivocally“; staffers reportedly have taken issue with his handling of the situation, calling it “unnecessarily messy,” “reckless,” “premature,” and “intentionally sneaky.”

Translation: Gamma male editor terrified of holding female star reporter accountable for her actions tried to white knight for her inappropriately, and is now being called out for it.

There is also an element of the media being reluctant to report on the media here, but when a manager’s behavior is described as “intentionally sneaky” then we have a pretty good idea what’s going on in SSH terms. Because Gammas, in particular, always rush to excuse poor behavior in women.

One of the key advantages of Alphas in executive roles and Bravos in support management roles is that they are, unlike the Deltas and Gammas, capable of holding female subordinates accountable.