The Athletic Issued Company Memo After Dianna Russini's Resignation

An internal response leaked following Dianna Russini's resignation from The Athletic.

Russini stepped down on Tuesday, effective immediately, amid the fallout from photos that surfaced of her with New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at an Arizona hotel. The NFL insider shared her resignation letter on social media, telling executive editor Steven Ginsberg that she has "no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept."

Twenty minutes before Russini posted her resignation request, Ginsberg confirmed the reporter's exit to staffers in the company's Slack channel. Puck's Dylan Byers shared his message to Athletic employees.

"I'm writing to let you know that Dianna Russini has submitted her resignation from The Athletic, effective immediately," Ginsberg wrote. "While I can't share the details of our investigation into Dianna's conduct, I want to emphasize that the leadership of The Athletic has taken this matter seriously from the moment that we learned about it."

"New questions were raised"

Ginsberg called The Athletic's coverage "deeply rooted in our integrity and our commitment to earning the trust of our audience." He stressed the importance of maintaining their "core journalistic values."

While Ginsberg publicly defended Russini when the photos first surfaced, he told staffers that an internal investigation raised further concerns. Russini resigned before they concluded the probe, which will remain ongoing.

"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," Ginsberg continued. "As additional information emerged, new questions were raised that became part of our investigation."

Russini spent eight years at ESPN before becoming The Athletic's leading NFL insider in August 2023. While she stood by her reporting and professionalism, Russini said she resigned because of a "media frenzy" directed at her.

"I do not do so because I accept the narrative that has been constructed around this episode, but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen to let it define me or my career," Russini wrote of her resignation.