[nullc]

For leaving it out perhaps, but the result is publishable even if the effect is small... where for significant you usually must p-hack your way to a standard threshold.

It's not entirely unreasonable, as often extra variables suppress the effect size. E.g. the effect is substantial in people with some genetics, insignificant otherwise. The fact that there is an effect at all makes it interesting as a starting point for further exploration e.g. to determine the mechanism or find the extra factors needed to make the effect significant.