Dianna Russini’s top athletic boss, Stephen Ginsburg, released a statement following the reporter’s bombshell statement on Tuesday.
“I am writing to inform you that Deanna Russini has submitted her resignation from The Athletic, effective immediately,” Ginsburg wrote in a statement obtained by Page Six.
“While I cannot share the details of the investigation into Deanna’s conduct, I would like to emphasize that The Athletic’s management has taken this matter seriously from the moment we learned of it,” he added.
Ginsburg went on to write that The Athletic’s reporting is “deeply rooted in integrity and our commitment to earning the trust of our viewers.”
He also said the station’s newsroom “thrives” because of its “core journalistic values” and that The Athletic “will ensure they are protected at all times.”
He continued: “When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were obvious concerns, but our instinct was to support and defend our colleagues as we received a detailed briefing and continued to consider the matter.”
But “additional information came to light” and “new questions arose that became part of our investigation,” Ginsburg wrote.
The editor-in-chief acknowledged that Russini “chose to resign” because The Athletic’s investigation into his “conduct” is “ongoing,” and said the organization “will continue to review the standards of Deanna’s work, led by (The Athletic editor-in-chief for standards and editorial quality) Mike Semel.”
Ginsburg concluded her statement by saying, “I want to thank everyone for continuing to produce the best sports reporting in the industry under these circumstances. I look forward to focusing on our journalism and maintaining our momentum.”
Russini, 43, announced her resignation from the prominent digital sports outlet days after Page Six obtained a photo of her and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, 50, together at an Arizona resort last month.
The veteran NFL reporter announced his resignation in a letter to Ginsburg on Tuesday afternoon.
“I have covered the NFL with professionalism and dedication throughout my career, and I stand by every article I have ever published,” Russini’s letter, also obtained by Page Six, said.
“When the Page Six article first appeared, The Athletic clearly supported me and expressed confidence in my work and pride in journalism,” the married mother of two continued. “I’m grateful for that.”
However, “in the days that followed, commentators in various media outlets simply distanced themselves from the facts and made wild speculations,” Russini continued.
The sports journalist, who served as a senior NFL insider for The Athletic, later said he chose to resign to stop speculation and damage surrounding the situation.
“Furthermore, this media frenzy is proceeding at breakneck speed in disregard of the review process The Athletic is attempting to complete,” she wrote. “Repeated breaches continue to escalate the situation, and I am unwilling to respond to a public inquiry that has already caused more damage than I am willing to accept.”
Russini continued, “Rather than continue, I have decided to step aside now before my current contract expires on June 30th. Not because I accept the story built around this episode, but because I refuse to give it any more oxygen or let it define me or my career.”
Page Six exclusively obtained the shocking photos of Russini and Vrabel on April 7th.
On March 28th, the two were seen holding hands and hugging at Ambiente in Sedona.
The Athletic, which the New York Times acquired in 2022, did not support Russini after the photo surfaced and began investigating the matter.
Meanwhile, Russini said last week that “the photo does not represent a group of six people hanging out during the day,” adding, “Like most NFL journalists, our reporters are interacting with sources far away from the stadium and other venues.”
As for Vrabel, the married father of two said in a statement to Page Six last week that the photo of him and Russini showed a “totally innocent interaction” and that “any suggestion otherwise is laughable.”
