The Athletic’s Dianna Russini’s, penned a story with Jets beatwriter Zack Rosenblatt, in January, with 30 sources, painting a less than flattering picture of the Jets’ culture last season.
Russini has received a lot of heat from some Jets fans on social media for this piece.
So the New Jersey native, formerly with ESPN, decided to fire back during an interview this week.
“I think Jets fans are in denial,” Russini told Barstool Sports. “They want to call people liars because they don’t want to believe that it’s that bad, that the culture is that awful. So don’t blame the team, blame the reports that uncovered all of this.”
So in other words, don’t kill the messenger.
But in fairness, while some fans are going after her over this story, plenty also know that the organization needs to “fine-tune” its culture as Aaron Rodgers said during the season
So instead of some people attacking Russini for the story, perhaps they should view the story as an early 2024 Christmas gift. Some would argue she did them a favor and they should now roll up their sleeves, upgrade the culture, and go out and kick butt next season with a pretty strong roster that just needs a few tweaks (like on the offensive line).
As British singer Nick Lowe once sang, “You’ve gotta be cruel to be kind, in the right measure.”
In other words, people blowing smoke up your butt, aren’t really helping you.
So maybe Russini’s blockbuster was the wake-up call they needed, and perhaps some steps have already been taken to fix the culture.
*****
Don’t forget to subscribe to Jets Confidential Magazine, loaded with so much stuff about Gang Green YOU WILL NOT READ ANYWHERE ELSE. You can’t grab a one-year digital subscription for a special price – $24.95 a year – by going to https://simplecirc.com/subscribe/jets-confidential.
