New York Times sports editor Joe Sexton is leaving the paper to become a senior editor at ProPublica, he announced the day of the deadline to accept a buyout.
Sexton, who recently spearheaded the Times' ambitious multimedia ebook about skiers trapped in an avalanche, announced his depature Wednesday in a brief farewell email to his colleagues.
"Truth is there is not space enough to contain my regard for you," he wrote in the memo, obtained by Romenesko. "I've received a great offer; I leave you and the NYT burdened only by a great debt — of thanks and wonder."
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Sexton's announcement came a day before the Times' deadline for voluntary buyouts. Last month, executive editor Jill Abramson called on up to 30 senior staffers and editors to accept buyouts -- or face layoffs.
He starts at the investigative news site next month.
"Joe Sexton is one of the finest editors in the business," editor-in-chief Stephen Engelberg said in a statement. "His steady hand and inspirational leadership have been behind some of the biggest stories in New York and the world of sports in the past decade."
Sexton, 53, joined the Times in 1987 as a sports writer. He has won three Pulitzer Prizes at the paper -- for breaking news, feature writing and investigative reporting.
Sexton did not immediately reply to requests from TheWrap for comment.