Last Tuesday, Page Six published a series of photographs showing New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and The Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini, both of whom are married to other people, hugging, holding hands, and lounging side by side at a pool several weeks ago at the Ambiente, an adult-only resort in Sedona, Arizona.
Both Russini and Vrabel have refuted any deeper or romantic relationship that the photos may suggest, although Russini has been sidelined by The Athletic as it investigates the situation, and Vrabel skipped New England’s pre-draft press conference.
The photos have sparked responses from all corners of sports media. Jeff Pearlman called out the “double-standard” Russini has been subject to, Albert Breer acknowledged that the situation raises questions about her previous coverage of Vrabel, and there have reportedly been internal criticisms at The Athletic.
Now, Fox Sports and The Volume’s Colin Cowherd, one of the most prominent voices in the sports media landscape, is weighing in and explaining why he has been mum up to this point.
“Don’t confuse moral and ethical. Dianna’s in a space where it’s moral and ethical. Mike’s is moral. And again, these are allegations. That’s the other reason I don’t talk about it,” Cowherd said on Sunday’s episode of The Colin Cowherd Podcast.
“I don’t think mainstream broadcasters, writers talk about moral stuff. If it becomes ethical, if a reporter gets fired for this, then that means The New York Times discovered ethical breaches,” he added. “Therefore, the mainstream media comes in to discuss. They have evidence, therefore, of an ethical lapse.”
Cowherd is far from the only one who has been hesitant to publicly discuss the “moral and ethical” situation at hand as it unfolds. Dan Le Batard said on Thursday morning that he was “really uncomfortable” discussing the circumstances surrounding Russini, who is a personal friend of his and a regular guest on The Dan Le Batard Show.
However, if The Athletic’s investigation confirms a breach of Russini’s journalistic integrity, it will fall to anyone covering the situation to report on it fully and honestly, personal feelings and working relationships aside.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.