Podcaster accuses AP of stonewalling Russini-Vrabel scandal

Podcaster Tony Farmer has reignited the controversy around Dianna Russini and Mike Vrabel, accusing the Associated Press of gaslighting and burying a conflict-of-interest question. Farmer claims voters who flagged the closeness between Coach of the Year voter Russini and winner Vrabel were dismissed, and the AP now refuses to discuss the matter.

Farmer points to Crissy Froyd, a former USA Today NFL reporter who lost her contractor gig after speaking about the alleged culture around the story. He argues the person who spoke truth was punished while the institution avoids answering. Farmer is not asking the AP to overturn the award but to release the voter's ballot, as it has done in the past.

A photo of Russini and Vrabel in conversation, shared by Farmer, keeps the controversy alive. With Froyd's firing fresh and the AP's ballot secrecy unexplained, Farmer has enough unresolved facts to sustain public attention.