00:00Diana Rossini has resigned from The Athletic,
00:02according to the Associated Press,
00:03and according to her, she released a statement.
00:06So again, reading from the Associated Press story,
00:09NFL reporter Diana Rossini has resigned from The Athletic
00:11less than a week after published photos of her
00:14and New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel
00:15at an Arizona resort prompted an internal investigation
00:18at the New York Times-owned sports outlet.
00:24And the statement has been released or has been attained.
00:28Quote,
00:30I have covered the NFL with professionalism
00:32and dedication throughout my career,
00:34and I stand behind every story I have ever published.
00:37When the page six item first appeared,
00:40The Athletic supported me unequivocally,
00:42expressed confidence in my work and pride in my journalism.
00:46For that, I am grateful.
00:48In the days that followed, unfortunately,
00:51commentators in various media have engaged
00:53in self-feeding speculation that is simply unmoored
00:57from the facts,
00:59Rossini said in a letter sent Tuesday
01:02to Athletic Executive Editor Steven Ginsburg,
01:05and it was obtained by the Associated Press.
01:07So this is a letter she sent to The Athletic
01:09and the AP obtained it.
01:12Continuing, she says,
01:13Moreover, this media frenzy is hurtling forward
01:17without regard for the review process.
01:20Without regard for the review process,
01:22The Athletic is trying to complete.
01:25It continues to escalate,
01:27fueled by repeated leaks,
01:28and I have no interest in submitting to a public inquiry
01:31that has already caused far more damage
01:34than I am willing to accept.
01:36Rather than allowing this to continue,
01:38I have decided to step aside now
01:40before my current contract expires on June 30th.
01:44I do so not because I accept the narrative
01:47that has been constructed around this episode,
01:49but because I refuse to lend it further oxygen
01:52or to let it define me or my career.
01:56End of the statement.
01:58May I ask your thoughts?
02:00I think for her, this end was inevitable.
02:04Like, I just don't think there was a way around it,
02:06whether you believe that something was going on there or not.
02:10The appearance of it is all that matters.
02:13And so there's no way the Times is going to let her come back
02:17and live with that kind of speculation about their paper.
02:20There's no way they were going to do that.
02:21I think there's a quid pro quo here.
02:23I'll walk away quietly if you stop digging
02:26and anything else more comes out.
02:28But hopefully this thing can just blow over and go away.
02:30I mean, it's a settlement of some sort.
02:32I mean, doesn't that go without saying?
02:34Well, I mean, maybe it's as simple as that.
02:35Yeah, could be.
02:36Call off the dogs.
02:37Yeah, could be.
02:37I'll make it easy on all of us.
02:38I'll step aside.
02:39You call off the dogs.
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