Even after NFL insider Dianna Russini’s resignation from The Athletic last week amid a series of photographs showing her and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel together at a resort in Arizona, there are still many questions regarding potential signs of impropriety.
The New York Times, which owns The Athletic, continues its investigation into Russini’s reporting. But another major publication, the Associated Press, remains silent regarding whether it will investigate Russini’s ballots in AP-run NFL awards voting, according to a report by Mike Florio in Pro Football Talk. Russini has cast one of 50 ballots for the AP’s annual NFL awards since 2022.
Per Florio, the Associated Press has not responded to two emails asking if the publication plans to review Russini’s voting patterns following her resignation from The Athletic.
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.
Notably, Vrabel won coach of the year in 2025.
As Florio notes, it’s not unprecedented for the AP to publicize ballots for NFL awards voting. The publication did so in 2024 without informing any of its voters it would do so. It did not publicize ballots in 2025.
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.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.