Rumors have been running rampant about star Katherine Heigl's departure from Grey's Anatomy. The most prevalent theory, bolstered by news of Jeffrey Dean Morgan's return to Grey's Anatomy, revolves around Izzie contracting a brain tumor.

Yesterday, ABC entertainment president Steve McPherson commented briefly on the subject of Heigl's future, and while he said that Izzie isn't going anywhere, reading between the lines a bit reveals some awfully ambiguous statements.

According to McPherson, Katherine Heigl is still very much in the mix with Grey's Anatomy, and Izzie Stevens won't be offed anytime soon.

In fact, he promised the following:

"Katherine is absolutely staying with the show. She has an unbelievable storyline this year, which is central to everything going on this season. Shonda Rhimes is really excited about that; she’s the one who actually crafted that."

McPherson tried to brush the recent controversy Katherine Heigl stirred up when she withdrew her name from consideration for the Emmy Awards.

"She is a fantastically talented actress," he said. "I think it’s unfortunate when there’s any kind of turmoil on the show. There are so many people who work so unbelievably hard to make that show; we have the No. 1 show in the country. I think it’s a beautifully written, beautifully acted, beautifully produced... Everyone from the grips to the writers to the executive producers, I think deserves an enormous amount of credit."

All in all, he's told us nothing, but made it sound good and certainly got us wondering what's to come in Season Five of Grey's Anatomy.

Guess that's why he makes the big bucks!

Finally, when asked for comment on the matter, Grey's Anatomy co-star Eric Dane said of Katherine Heigl: "She's a great girl, very professional, she likes her job and I don't think Shonda has any intentions of killing her off."

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.