Dianna Russini’s ongoing Mike Vrabel controversy has expanded beyond her resignation from The Athletic, now raising serious questions about the integrity of NFL award voting. The situation has drawn increased scrutiny due to a possible connection between her professional role as an NFL award voter and her personal associations.
While the New York Times is already reviewing her reporting, questions have emerged about her future as a voter for the Associated Press (AP) NFL awards. With no official response from the AP so far, speculation continues to build. The silence has only intensified calls for transparency.
Dianna Russini Under More Scrutiny After Exit From The Athletic Amid Mike Vrabel Scandal
The controversy centers on whether Russini’s role as one of 50 AP voters should now be reviewed. NFL insider Mike Florio highlighted that despite multiple inquiries, the AP has yet to clarify whether it is examining her award ballots.
“Here’s a question we’ve gotten from multiple members of the media: Is the Associated Press reviewing her ballots as a result of recent developments?” Florio noted. “The AP has not responded to two emails from PFT asking that specific question. Previously, after three tries via email, the AP declined to release her full 2025 ballot.”
Florio’s comments reflect growing frustration within media circles. The concern isn’t necessarily about proving wrongdoing, but about ensuring transparency in a process that directly impacts player legacies and league-wide recognition.
Awards like Coach of the Year carry weight far beyond reputation, often influencing financial incentives and historical standing. He further explained why Russini’s voting record is under scrutiny, particularly regarding Mike Vrabel’s Coach of the Year win.
“There’s obvious reason for curiosity as to Russini’s coach of the year ballot,” Florio added. “Vrabel won the award, with 302 points and 19 first-place votes… The question is where the other perceived candidates landed. For example, was Coen second? Was he fifth? Was he omitted from the ballot entirely?”
This context underscores that the issue isn’t solely about a first-place vote, but the overall structure of her ballot and whether any bias may have influenced rankings. Florio also emphasized that a review would be consistent with actions already taken elsewhere.
“If The Athletic is reviewing her reporting, the AP arguably should be reviewing her ballots,” Florio wrote. “And the NFL, which has made the AP awards the NFL’s official awards for the annual NFL Honors event, arguably should want that to happen.”
The debate has also drawn reactions from other media figures, including Tony Farmer, who pointed to past inconsistencies in how voting transparency has been handled.
“Finally, someone in the mainstream media has acknowledged this angle,” Farmer said. “The AP hasn’t acknowledged it… In 2024, Dianna Russini was caught off guard by the AP releasing the ballots and making them public. Everybody was caught off guard.”
Farmer referenced a previous instance where AP ballots were unexpectedly made public, catching voters off guard and raising concerns about communication and accountability.
“There’s an old quote in here from Dianna Russini from 2024 where she says, and I quote, ‘I was out to dinner, and my phone was blowing up with people in football very angry that I voted for people that I voted for. That stunk. I wish I knew that because — it would not have changed my vote — but I love Josh Allen, and I am avoiding him for a really long time.'”
Farmer also raised a more speculative concern about potential inconsistencies.
“Did Dianna Russini tell both Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson that she voted for them? And then was caught off guard when the AP released this information? This is fascinating,” Farmer added.
Social media has amplified the discourse, with NFL content aggregator Dov Kleiman reposting the video of Famer with a quote, stating:
“The Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel scandal just got even crazier. Russini’s past AP votes may be put under investigation,” Kleiman wrote.
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The AP’s silence on a potential investigation is surprising. Drew Lerner of Awful Announcing also chimed in, calling for her ballot to be made public.
“Of course, Russini’s ballots alone would not confirm anything with regard to a potential conflict of interest with Vrabel. It would simply provide another data point in the story. However, considering these awards are important in a multitude of ways — players often have contractual incentives tied to AP awards, fans can vote on who will win, the NFL produces an entire night of primetime programming, NFL Honors, as a byproduct of these votes — it would seem reasonable for the AP to at least take a look at how Russini voted and issue a statement about her future as a voter,” Lerner wrote.
“To be sure, the AP could be reviewing Russini’s ballots internally and simply not responding to request for comment until it has reached a verdict. But for now, the AP has yet to address Russini’s future as an awards voter. And considering the wide-ranging implications of such awards, the outlet will likely have to comment on the matter sooner or later.”
With the 2026 NFL Draft approaching and league attention shifting, pressure is mounting for clarity.
Now, whether the AP chooses to address the situation publicly or continues its silence could shape how this controversy is ultimately perceived.
Vrabel Addresses the Russini Controversy at Patriots Press Conference
On Tuesday, Vrabel spoke with reporters and addressed the controversy.
“I’ve had some difficult conversations with people that I care about, with my family, the organization, the coaches, the players. Those have been positive and productive,” Vrabel said while highlighting that the situation had been handled internally before going public.
Here’s Mike Vrabel’s statement pic.twitter.com/LkY8FypVy1
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) April 21, 2026
“We believe that in order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions,” Vrabel added. “That includes me, that starts with me. We never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction.”
Vrabel also explained why he had delayed speaking publicly, stating that his priority was addressing the matter with his players first.
“Those are comments and questions that I’ve answered for the team and with the team and we’ll keep those private and to ourselves,” he said, reinforcing his intent to keep internal matters within the locker room.
He then shifted toward a forward-looking tone, promising improvement and renewed focus.
“I also know that I’m going to attack each day with humility and focus,” Vrabel said. “And what I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, the coaches, everybody, our fans, most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward.”
Vrabel didn’t really say much, and his comments drew some criticism from those in NFL world. For example, legendary broadcaster Jim Rome argued that Vrabel didn’t help himself with the press conference.
“Notice he didn’t hit the podium today and say, ‘You still have this all wrong’ … Why would you have difficult conversations with the people you care about most if nothing happened and it’s all laughable? Because something happened,” Rome said.
“Absolutely something did happen. Probably exactly what we all think happened…he basically just admitted it without admitting it.”
Mike Vrabel basically just admitted it without admitting it. pic.twitter.com/v9ZDgt9l9n
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) April 21, 2026
“Mike Vrabel looks and sounds like a guilty and defeated man,” NFL analyst Chase Senior added on X.
Others focused on the shift in narrative from his first statement to the Post.
“I sincerely don’t care, just think it’s funny we went from ‘it was innocent and any suggestion otherwise is laughable’ to this,” podcaster Nick Kostos wrote.
