Dianna Russini Resigns from Her Job at The Athletic

The play continued to unfold, however. Initially, The Athletic executive editor Steven Ginsberg did some blocking for his employee. “These photos are misleading and lack essential context,” he said in a statement to E! News April 7. “These were public interactions in front of many people.“

However, as the New York Times-owned sports publication began to review the play, additional concerns were raised. A source familiar with the situation at The Athletic noted April 13 that both Russini and her past coverage were being investigated. 

A day later, the veteran journalist left the proverbial locker room, resigning from her role. 

“I stand behind every story I have ever published,” she said in an April 14 letter to Ginsberg, obtained by The Associated Press. “Unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.”

Calling out the escalating media frenzy, the mom of two continued, “I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept.” Though she would be leaving before her contract expired June 30, “I do so not because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”