The Athletic announced on 2026-09-03 that its internal investigation found that former NFL reporter Dianna Russini's relationship with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel was in 'clear violation' of the outlet's standards. ^[1] Dianna Russini is reportedly planning a return to sports media five months after resigning from The Athletic. ^[2] Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, placed a bet on Rutgers to cover a 29.5-point spread against UMass on September 3, 2026. ^[3] UMass defeated Rutgers with a final score of 37-21 on September 3, 2026. ^[4] Mike Semel, The Athletic's editorial director for standards and quality, wrote in the investigation report that he found no clear bias in Russini's coverage but said the relationship gave the appearance of a conflict of interest. ^[5] Dave Portnoy admitted during the game that he made a mistake and called himself a 'f*cking moron'. ^[6] Portnoy posted on X that the wager was his first bet of the college football season and might be his strongest play of the year. ^[7]