Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank has developed a close relationship with MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle, who co-anchors a business news show daily at 1 p.m., reports Khadeeja Safdar of The Wall Street Journal.
Safdar reports, “The billionaire and the television journalist have developed close ties in recent years, according to these executives and others familiar with the matter. Ms. Ruhle has traveled with Mr. Plank and Under Armour staff on his private jet, they said, and given the CEO her input on a range of business matters.
“Ms. Ruhle’s involvement at the Baltimore company was unusual and problematic, these people said, and left employees unsure how to handle her feedback because many people believed she was romantically involved with Mr. Plank. Both Mr. Plank and Ms. Ruhle are married.
“‘Mr. Plank and Ms. Ruhle are friends,’ said Kelley McCormick, Under Armour’s senior vice president of communications.
“Last year, Mr. 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, some of the people said. 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.”
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