Newly released police body-cam footage reveals former NFL reporter Dianna Russini was caught on camera trying to name-drop her way out of a traffic ticket - and appearing to contradict a previous tale she shared about the incident.
Russini, who is married, resigned from her job at The Athletic in April after tabloid photos showed her hugging and holding hands with married New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, drawing scrutiny over her relationships with top NFL officials.
After the scandal broke, an anecdote she shared on a podcast about getting out of a traffic ticket resurfaced - where she had claimed she evaded punishment by allowing the police officer to FaceTime with the coach of his favorite NFL team.
However, body camera footage obtained by news website The Center Square Monday paints a different picture of the traffic stop in Ridgewood, New Jersey, this past January. In the footage, the journalist is seen behind the wheel after being pulled over for using her phone while driving. The footage shows Russini explaining that she was texting because of a breaking news story.
"I'm an NFL reporter, and I just broke that Sean McDermott got fired from the Bills. And that what I was just sending to send, a tweet. I was gonna pull over, because I have to make calls. I know you don't care, but I'm just letting you know my reason why. It was a working thing, it was an emergency for what I do," Russini is heard telling the officer on the body-cam footage.