The Athletic has reportedly addressed the Diana Rossini and Mike Vrabel scandal with staff for the first time since Page Six published photos of the couple together at an Arizona resort.
Executive Editor Stephen Ginsberg held an all-hands public meeting on Wednesday following Rossini’s April 14 resignation from the outlet, According to Front Office Sports.
Sources told Front Office Sports that Ginsberg read a prepared statement lasting about 10 minutes and acknowledged that communication between the Athletic and its staff could have been clearer as the Rossini-Vrabel scandal came to light.
Ginsberg also reportedly said that the investigation into Rossini’s conduct, which is being led by Managing Editor for Standards and Editorial Quality Mike Semel, is ongoing and will be lengthy.
Although the Athletic’s executive editor reportedly did not take questions during the company-wide meeting, he informed employees that he would be available for a direct call.
A representative for The Athletic did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Page Six published stunning photos of the former Athletic reporter and New England Patriots head coach on April 7.
The photos showed Rossini, 43, and Vrabel, 50, holding hands and embracing at the exclusive Ambiente Hotel in Sedona on March 28.
The couple, both married to different people, downplayed the situation after the footage went viral.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” the NFL coach and father of two told Page Six in a statement.
“The pictures are not representative of the group of six people who were hanging out during the day,” Rossini told us. “Like most NFL journalists, reporters interact with sources away from stadiums and other locations.”
Meanwhile, Ginsberg said the images of Rossini and Vrabel were “misleading” and lacked “essential context.”
“These were public interactions in front of a lot of people,” he added. “Diana is a leading journalist covering the NFL and we are proud to have her at The Athletic.”
However, it was later revealed that The Athletic had sidelined Rossini and opened an investigation into her behaviour. She resigned from the outlet on April 14.
“Rather than allow this to continue, I have decided to step down now — before my current contract expires on June 30,” she wrote in her resignation letter.
“I do this not because I accept the narrative that has been built around this episode, but because I refuse to add more oxygen to it or allow it to define me or my career,” Rossini added.
Ginsberg later confirmed Rossini’s departure from the outlet in a memo to staff.
“I am writing to inform you that Diana Rossini has tendered her resignation from The Athletic, effective immediately,” he wrote.
“As additional information has emerged, new questions have been raised that have become part of our investigation,” the executive editor added. “While our investigation into Diana’s conduct was ongoing, she chose to resign.”
As for Vrabel, he addressed the shocking photo scandal for the first time during a press conference with reporters ahead of this year’s NFL Draft last week.
He thanked journalists for their “patience” amid his “personal and private matter,” and admitted that he could have addressed the media “sooner.”
“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people I care about, like my family, the organization, the coaches and the players,” Vrabel said. “That has been positive and productive.”
The NFL coach then announced that he would “seek counseling” beginning last weekend, and he missed Day 3 of the draft on Saturday to do so.
But the scandal took another turn last Thursday when Page Six obtained new photos of Vrabel and Rossini getting close and kissing inside a New York City bar in March 2020.