On Tuesday, prominent NFL reporter Dianna Russini announced her resignation from The Athletic. The announcement was followed by a series of images released by The New York Post in which the reporter was seen mingling with New England coach Mike Vrabel. This happened just before the day before the NFL meeting that was held last month.
Russini stated “media frenzy” is the reason
The resignation letter explained the reasons behind it.”This media frenzy is hurtling forward without regard for the review process The Athletic is trying to complete. It continues to escalate, fueled by repeated leaks, and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry that has already caused far more damage than I am willing to accept. … I refuse to lend it further oxygen or to let it define me or my career.”
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The said pictures released had also sparked more controversy online when the users started to dig up the clips of Russini putting down her husband on Live TV. She said that the speculations had escalated to an unfair level for her, “In the days that followed, unfortunately, commentators in various media have engaged in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored from the facts.”
Portnoy’s reaction
A conflicting reaction has been observed from the founder of Barstool Sports -Dave Portnoy. Even though he agreed that no one should be deprived of their job because of rumors. However, he insinuated that Russini’s reasoning sounds “guilty”. ”I don’t think anybody should lose their job over alleged canoodling but this statement makes it seem like there was definitely canoodling happening. An innocent canoodler would prob welcome a thorough investigation to prove their innocence and exonerate themselves, right? This screams guilty canoodler to me.”
Read More: Mike Vrabel caught in embarassing moment amid Dianna Russini photo leak controversy
Other prominent journalists like Chris Vacarro have also shared their reaction to the news. The National president of the Society of Professional Journalists said that the incident marked a tough day for her and her family. He also brought in light about the issues of media ethics,” but the story of media ethics and the dilemma this poses was the same yesterday as it is today.”
Even though this was an allegation that was still under investigation, the appearance of a conflict can erode credibility. … This looks bad for (Russini and Vrabel). Sources should be respectful. They should always treat the media with professionalism and respect.”, the president added to his statement.