The Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel story continues to garner attention, even almost four months after it broke.
While the scandal began after pictures of the two were taken at a resort in Sedona, Arizona, where they were seen spending time by the pool, in the hot tub, hugging and holding hands, many analysts and podcasters raised questions about how their alleged relationship affected their jobs.
Emmanuel Acho Speaks on Award Voting Amid Dianna Russini, Mike Vrabel Scandal
One of the biggest concerns that individuals had with the Russini-Vrabel situation was that she holds a vote in the MVP and Coach of the Year awards.
Since the New England Patriots coach was the one to win the Coach of the Year honor in 2025, many eyebrows were raised about Russini’s credibility to cast the vote.
On Tuesday, Emmanuel Acho, who has been one of the few mainstream media analysts to discuss the Russini and Vrabel controversy, said that award voting should not be polluted.
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During a segment on “Speakeasy,” he said, ”Everybody was getting their jokes off. What nobody discussed is, given that she votes on MVP and head coach, you can’t afford to have that polluted.”
“Josh Allen had a $1 million bonus, a million dollars tethered to winning the NFL MVP,” Acho added. “There are bonuses within contracts, coaches, players, assistant coaches, millions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars, escalators, and a contract might go from $8 million a year to $10 million a year if you get a national award like that, let alone the legacy that comes with it.”
Acho continued, “So in the event you are making votes because of a relationship that might be inappropriate and you get caught for doing it, that should be talked about because Shady’s [LeSean McCoy] right, we talked about it in Speakeasy, we know we all know we’re gonna keep it 100 with y’all, ESPN didn’t report on it, Sportscenter didn’t report on it, three-letter network didn’t report on it.”
What happened yesterday? I woke up this morning and everyone is suddenly talking like Tony Farmer. Is it a full moon or something?
Acho bringing up Josh Allen’s MVP incentive?
Rodgers bringing up Russini tampering concerns and the Rex Ryan Paradox?
Several people (finally)… pic.twitter.com/cbcMtmZNhB
— Tony Farmer (@Tonysmarkettips) August 4, 2026
Acho further mentioned that after Rodgers made the “Russini, Vrabel” comment, Pat McAfee and others tried to shut down the conversation again by refusing to discuss it.
The former NFL linebacker doubled down on his point and said Rodgers is right, adding, “Legacies are being defined by people in inappropriate relationships with coaches? Like, that’s actually wild.”
After the Sedona photos, more images and details from Russini and Vrabel’s alleged relationship surfaced, including them renting a boat together in 2021 and a picture of them from a bar in 2020.
