Bill Simmons Exposes Father’s Meltdown Blaming Dianna Russini Affair For Ruining The Patriots
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The New England Patriots are enduring a rough 1-2 start to the 2026 NFL regular season. This disappointing performance follows a chaotic offseason overshadowed by a major controversy involving their head coach, Mike Vrabel.
Tabloid photos surfaced showing Vrabel holding hands and embracing former NFL reporter Dianna Russini at a resort. The media scrutiny forced Russini to resign from her high-profile insider position at The Athletic. An internal investigation later concluded her undisclosed relationship with Vrabel clearly violated established company newsroom standards.
Vrabel publicly acknowledged that his personal behavior fell short of expectations and subsequently stepped away for family counseling. Consequently, several prominent sports analysts and fans believe this offseason drama is actively distracting the struggling roster.
The Patriots suffered a humiliating 35-6 blowout loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars during a dismal Week 3 matchup, and now Russini is being blamed.
Is The Dianna Russini Curse Actually Real? Bill Simmons’ Weighs In
During a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast on The Ringer, sports analyst Bill Simmons shared his father’s frustrations regarding the New England Patriots. Following a brutal 35-6 blowout loss to the Jaguars, his father sent a highly critical text message.
He bluntly blamed the team’s ongoing struggles directly on the massive offseason drama involving head coach Mike Vrabel. Specifically, the elder Simmons wrote a text stating, “I think Dianna Russini ruined our season.”
The passionate Boston sports fan expressed extreme disappointment over the dramatic regression of young quarterback Drake Maye. Watching Maye’s poor play on the field, his dad noted, “It’s like I’m watching Mac Jones again.” Consequently, he even seriously questioned whether the team should bench Maye in favor of backup Tommy DeVito.
He sadly concluded the conversation, looking at his son, reflecting on their incredibly brief success. He told Bill, “It was so exciting to have a franchise quarterback, even if it was only for one year.”
In the meantime, it is only a matter of time before Russini finds a new job to do what she loves to do and that is cover sports.
