With the NFL granting permission to teams to create their schedule release videos without a review, the New England Patriots will be a heavily targeted team online because of the head coach’s controversy with Dianna Russini. However, their millionaire superfan has emerged with a threat that might keep teams from doing so.

“Let me say this loud and clear,” said Dave Portnoy on X. ” I will be monitoring all schedule releases and anybody who makes a joke about this disgusting controversy will be put on my list and face potential legal action. You’ve been warned.”

Dave Portnoy, the renowned businessman and owner of Barstool Sports, is a die-hard New England Patriots fan, and it seems like he has taken it upon himself to stop anything from affecting the team going into the season.

The NFL previously stated that the Russini-Vrabel controversy does not fall under the Personal Conduct Policy of the league, so they will not be taking any action. It was clear that the creative schedule videos could get a little too tough for the Patriots, considering their coach’s involvement in the controversy.

“The league is not reviewing videos in advance. Instead, clubs will continue to control the content of their memes and videos from start to finish,” read an article from Front Office Sports. “The young, aggressive, social media wags at all 32 clubs will be free to mock Vrabel and the Patriots if they wish.”

The controversy between the Pats coach Mike Vrabel and the seasoned journalist Dianna Russini has been running for over a month after Page Six released a series of their pictures in the first week of April. It led to the resignation of the 43-year-old at The Athletic, while Vrabel continues to coach Portnoy’s team.

When the story first came to light, Portnoy immediately showed support for the Super Bowl runner-up coach. He previously praised the head coach on social media, applauding his leadership in the locker room, while declaring, “You can’t spell Vrabel without accountability.”

His legal threat comes due to his support for the Patriots and coach Vrabel. He believes that the media has already milked the story for over a month, releasing multiple pictures from their past. Turning the personal struggle into a marketing stunt, things have been pushed way too far, affecting the family lives of both Vrabel and Russini for weeks.

While several teams could fire shots at the Pats, the Los Angeles Chargers may lead the threat, given their long history of doing it.

The Los Angeles Chargers could be the first in line to mock Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini

The New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers crossed paths in the Wild Card Round this January, where the former Vrabel’s side walked out with a dominant 16-3 win. They are set to have an AFC Wild Card rematch in Week 12 of the 2026 campaign. Hence, a revenge clip is certainly expected, and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Beer concurs.

“You see what the Chargers do every year, right?” Beer said on a recent edition of the Dan Patrick Show. “It’s like nothing is out of bounds with the Chargers, so my guess would be they will. And if they don’t, then it’s going to be a story that they didn’t.”The

The Chargers’ creative videos team is led by David Bretto, who has made this digital battle in the NFL exciting with innovative clips, taking shots at the rival teams. The team lit up the social media timeline in 2022 with amine-themed schedule videos, where their main target was the Cleveland Browns.

Moreover, the Patriots were targeted by the Chargers in 2024 through “The Sims” reality parody videos, where the Patriots were shown as a retirement home, with the senior citizens aimlessly wandering, wearing the franchise jersey. The roast was due to the team’s lack of young talent two years ago, which has significantly changed now.

The Chargers certainly have an opportunity to avenge the video from two seasons ago, but would Portnoy’s legal threat scare them? They have the nod from the NFL, which is the all-important one, and with that on their side, the Chargers really could do something creative, targeting the controversy.