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NBC’s Stephanie Ruhle under scrutiny for ‘unusual and problematic’ relationship with Under Armour CEO

February 22, 2019 | | Print Article

The media elite in this country are quick to lecture those in flyover country about how they should and should not think and act, but they seldom apply these lofty standards to their own behavior.

At the same time, these elitists are baffled why so many in the country question their credibility.

MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle finds herself at the center of a controversy of her own making after the Wall Street Journal reported on an alleged affair with Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, who is married.

Ruhle, also married, reportedly flies on Plank’s private jet and shares her expertise on business matters.

“Plank’s relationship with Ms. Ruhle was brought to the attention of the Under Armour board after the company uncovered emails that showed an intimate relationship between them,” the Journal reported. “The board asked Mr. Plank about the nature of the relationship and whether company assets were used, these people said. Mr. Plank told directors that it was a private matter and that no company funds were spent, they said. It couldn’t be determined if the board took further action.”

Citing current and former Under Armour executives, and other sources, the Journal said “Ruhle’s involvement at the Baltimore company was unusual and problematic.”

Employees are reportedly “unsure how to handle her feedback because many people believed she was romantically involved.”

For what it’s worth, an Under Armor spokesperson told the Journal, “Mr. Plank and Ms. Ruhle are friends. The idea that Mr. Plank uniquely listens to any one individual is absurd.”

All of which would be an internal matter, except that Ruhle used her role as a cable news anchor to report on Under Armour and promote their products on air without disclosing to viewers that she had an existing relationship with Plank.

An incident in June 2016 was cited, when the company released a Steph Curry-brand sneaker that was widely panned. Under Armour employees were told not to respond to the criticism because Ruhle said that “she would step in and discuss the shoes on TV,” according to the Journal.

The Washington Free Beacon reported that archived video of Ruhle’s appearance on NBC’s “Today“ that weekend showed her boosting the shoes without saying anything about her relationship with Plank.

“I really like this shoe,” Ruhle told co-host Craig Melvin.

While holding the shoes, she would look into the camera and said, “This, just in time for Father’s Day, dads!”

Ruhle also took to social media on multiple occasions to plug Under Armour and its products, the Free Beacon noted.

She even advertised that she was buying her own father a pair of the Curry sneakers for Father’s Day.”

She even peddled Under Armour’s products against competitor, Nike.

Here are some other examples from Twitter — there were plenty of other tweets not shown below:

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Tom Tillison
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