New York Times article on Dianna Russini glosses over key questions from the Julio Jones trade
There’s a lot to digest in the lengthy New York Times article regarding former New York Times employee Dianna Russini . The item, for the most part, handles a very delicate situation the right way. Still, some issues raised by the potential (or actual) conflict of interest arising from her relationship with Patriots coach Mike Vrabel didn’t get the attention they should have. Here’s one that stands out, after re-reading the article. It relates to the 2021 trade that sent receiver Julio Jones from the Falcons to the Titans, who at the time were coached by Vrabel. Regarding the Jones trade, the Times article says only this: “In June 2021, after breaking the story that the Atlanta Falcons had traded the wide receiver Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans, she went on television and told a story about receiving a sign while gambling at a bachelorette party in Atlantic City. ‘I’m at the roulette table on Saturday night around 11 p.m.,’ she said on ‘Get Up,’ ESPN’s weekday morning show ‘and I hit on black 11.’ Aware that Mr. Jones wore No. 11 for Atlanta, Ms. Russini recalled telling someone else in their party: ‘That’s Julio. Something’s up.’ She called her sources and confirmed her hunch. ‘I’m a witch,’ Ms. Russini said.” There could be more to it than witchcraft or sorcery. In late April, we explored Russini’s reporting from the days preceding the Jones trade. On May 27, 2021, Russini reported that the Falcons “have discussed several offers for wide receiver Julio Jones, including an offer of a future first-round draft pick .” The report, under a headline that proclaimed “Atlanta Falcons have offer of a 1st-round pick for Julio Jones, sources say” created a clear impression that the Falcons had an offer in hand of a first-round pick for Jones. Her report also downplayed the Titans’ chances of landing Jones, calling them a “long shot.” As we wrote after the New York Post published photos taken in March 2020 of Russini and Vrabel in a Manhattan bar, this reporting may have helped deliver Jones to the Titans . First, by putting out word through a headline on the ESPN website that the Falcons already had been offered a first-round pick for Jones, other teams that may have offered a second-round pick could have reacted to the news by tapping out of further talks. Second, by calling the Titans a “long shot” to trade for Jones, the Titans may have been in a better position to operate unnoticed when the time came to get the deal done. Ultimately, Jones was traded to the Titans on June 6 — not for a first-round pick but for a second- and a fourth-round pick, with a sixth-round pick also going from Atlanta to Tennessee. Why did the Times not mention the Russini’s reporting on the upcoming Jones trade? One possible explanation would relate to the internal sensitivity regarding what the Times and The Athletic knew or should have known about the Russini-Vrabel connection before The Athletic signed her to a three-year contract worth nearly $2.4 million . That’s one of the most overlooked aspects of the story. The Times (and, by extension, The Athletic ) purport to have exacting journalistic standards. Presumably, the Times (and, by extension, The Athletic ) would ensure that incoming hires have a history of reporting in a way that already meets those standards. The more attention given now to potential irregularities predating Russini’s arrival at The Athletic opens the door to scrutiny and criticism of the The Athletic (and, by extension, the Times ) regarding whether the standards that the Times Company applies to its other journalists were applied when The Athletic hoped to hire an NFL insider, as explained by Peter King at the time , “to be different, to be a subscription magnet, to tell good stories, to be a difference-maker on the NFL beat, and to break some stories.” Is it possible that The Athletic wasn’t also looking for an NFL insider to stubbornly adhere to the high bar the Times applies to its journalists? Ignoring (or not [... truncated ...]
