‘Really Tough to Explain’ — NFL Podcaster Calls Out AP’s Refusal to Release Dianna Russini’s Coach of the Year Ballot
· Yahoo Sports
Almost four months after the story broke, the Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel scandal continues to capture the attention of fans and analysts during the NFL offseason. While Russini has withdrawn from the public eye after resigning from The Athletic, Vrabel is preparing for his second season at the helm of the New England Patriots.
NFL Podcaster Calls Out AP Over Dianna Russini Vote
In a lengthy post on X, NFL podcaster Tony Farmer put the Associated Press on blast for refusing to release Russini’s Coach of the Year ballots.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
“The Associated Press will not release its ballots so we can see if the woman on the left voted for the man on the right for Coach of the Year, and see who she voted for in slots 2-5. If Russini left Ben Johnson off her ballot like she did the prior year [Assistant COTY] when he received 29 1st-place votes, then that would be really tough to explain,” Farmer wrote.
Russini was one of 50 journalists selected to vote in the Associated Press’s annual NFL Awards. She has held the coveted spot since 2022, but attention was naturally on her voting record after the scandal with Vrabel broke.
Notably, the Patriots coach won the AP NFL Coach of the Year Award in 2025.
Aaron Rodgers Revives Russini–Vrabel Scandal
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” from the Steelers’ training camp on Monday, polarizing quarterback Aaron Rodgers blasted ESPN for ignoring the Russini scandal.
“What was this network doing?” Rodgers asked. “You had literally an individual that maybe used to work at ESPN, that covers our league at the highest level, and there’s a major scandal, and it’s just like nobody can [expletive] talk about it? What are we even doing here?
“I understand, but if it’s affecting certain things, if there’s leaks going on, if there’s tampering going on, if that person is also an MVP voter and a Coach of the Year voter, remember when I won MVP in 2021 and that [expletive] in Chicago? That’s real life. How are we allowing these people to have an impact?”
Several aspects of Russini’s alleged relationship with Vrabel have been examined after it was established that their rumored affair had been ongoing since his stint as the Tennessee Titans’ head coach.
In the middle of all the heat, as more details emerged from the incident, Vrabel took some time away from the NFL during the draft, but made his way back to the team soon after. With all attention now on training camp, it remains to be seen if Russini makes a comeback to reporting on the sport.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.