Russian Soccer Team Official Kills His Career By Releasing Photos With Hockey Reporter

Russian soccer team official Rostislav Murzagulov knew exactly what he was doing when he published photos of himself in various poses with Russian hockey reporter Ulyana Trigubchak. The photos were going to end his run as the chairman of the Russian Premier League soccer club Ufa, which sits in an area of Russia with a large Muslim population that doesn't want to see its soccer chairman sprawled across a former KHL puck bunny.

You could say this was the 43-year-old Murzagulov's way of extending two massive middle fingers on his way out of his job.

“I understand that in conservative Bashkiria many will condemn me for this photo session. I am almost sure that I will cease to be the head of Ufa. However, this is a smart decision. Now those fools who offer to give up football in Bashkiria will see how popular this sport is in our republic. I hope those who make decisions will fire me and keep football in Bashkiria. This is much more important to me than my place of work," he told Sport-Express.

"If they are morons, then let them understand that my photo session has such consequences. I don't want to be the gravedigger of football, but if anyone thinks that the problem is with me, then okay. Let them find another manager who is photographed dressed. But the main thing is to keep football. And I will not be lost. I have no problems with job offers."

Tuesday, Russian news outlet RT.com reported that Murzagulov quit one day after posting the photos. The squad finished 13th (6-17-7) in the Russian Premier League and were just about relegated to a lower division. As for Trigubchak, she wouldn't say how things are between her and Murzagulov. “I'm not ready to talk about my personal life, but Rostislav is really a close person to me,” she told Sport-Express.

“And it so happens that people do joint photo sessions… We came up with the idea jointly.”

We clearly need more interesting resignations in American sports. I don't need a press conference to tell me how sorry you are that things didn't work in Denver or Detroit. I need these team executives creating TikToks where they push cars off of cliffs and then the cars explode into a ball of fire that spells out 'I QUIT.' I need dramatics out of these guys. If that means sprawling across an Instagram model, ruining your future career and making Muslims mad over some skin, then so be it.

Choose your own adventure. Be creative.