What's Next For Jill Abramson's New York Times 'T' Tattoo?

In the wake of New York Times executive editor Jill Abramson’s unexpected decision to step down from her position Wednesday, several questions linger. Was Abramson forced out? Where will she go next? How will her departure affect operations for one of America’s most prestigious news outlets?

Most of all, what will Abramson do with her New York Times tattoo?

The existence of the tattoo was made public last month, when Abramson appeared on Catie Lazarus’ podcast Employee of the Month to discuss her position at the Times. In between discussions about Nate Silver’s departure and the challenging transition from reporter to editor, Abramson revealed that she had not just one but four tattoos, including a New York subway token, the Crimson Harvard “H” and the iconic New York Times “T.”

"I think eventually, when I finish doing them, [they] will tell the story of me, of where I lived, and what things have been important to me,” Abramson said. “I have two then on my back that are the two institutions that I revere, that have shaped me. One is unsurprisingly the amazing ‘T’ in The New York Times newspaper. Then I have a Crimson Harvard ‘H’ and that’s for Harvard, and also for my husband Henry, who I met when we were in the same class at Harvard.”

Now that Abramson is leaving the Times, it’s unclear what she will do about her Times tattoo. She had been with the paper since 1997, and in a statement said she “loved” her time at Times. Given that Abramson was not present for the sudden announcement about her departure and publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. attributed the shakeup to an “issue of newsroom management,” it appears that her departure was not on her own terms.

Abramson’s tattoos are all about the story of her life, and this seems like a major twist in that story. Maybe she willl black out out her “T” tattoo, or maybe she will issue a correction under it.