Dianna Russini’s top boss at the Athletic, Steven Ginsberg, was forced to release a statement following the reporter’s bombshell resignation from the outlet on Tuesday.

“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.”

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 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.”

Story developing…

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