Steven Ginsberg has finally spoken about the situation at The Athletic involving Dianna Russini and the rumors around Mike Vrabel photos.
He kept it calm but the internet did not.
People online treated it like a championship game of gossip. Russini’s resignation talk spread fast across sports media pushing her former boss to speak about it.
“I’m writing to let you know that Dianna Russini has submitted her resignation from The Athletic, effective immediately,” Ginsberg wrote in a statement obtained by Page Six.
He continued, “While I can’t share the details of our investigation into Dianna’s conduct, I want to emphasize that the leadership at The Athletic has taken this matter seriously from the moment that we learned about it.”
Ginsberg went on to write that the Athletic’s coverage is “deeply rooted in integrity and our commitment to earning the trust of our audience.”
He also noted that the outlet’s newsroom has “thrived” because of its “core journalistic values,” and the Athletic “will always ensure they are protected.”
He continued, “When this situation was brought to our attention last week, there were clear concerns, but we received a detailed explanation and it was our instinct to support and defend a colleague while we continued to review the matter.”
But as “additional information emerged,” Ginsberg wrote, “new questions were raised that became part of our investigation.”
Thia controversy doesn’t seem to end anytime soon looking at the angle it’s headed.
The executive editor acknowledged that Russini “chose to resign” as the Athletic’s probe into her “conduct” was “ongoing” and that the outlet “will continue a standards review of Dianna’s work that [the Athletic editorial director for standards and editorial quality] Mike Semel is leading.”
Ginsberg concluded his statement, “Amid all of this, I want to sincerely thank everyone for continuing to produce the best sports report in the business. I’m looking forward to focusing on journalism and continuing our momentum.”
Russini, 43, announced her resignation from the prominent digital sports outlet days after Page Six obtained photos of her and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, 50, together at an Arizona resort last month.
For now the situation remains a talking point across sports media circles. Everyone is watching but no one is fully sure of the truth, and that uncertainty keeps the story alive longer than expected.
Flip to the next page for Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini’s wild photos…
