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.
The officer eventually tells her, “obviously you were on your phone for a while,” and lists the places he observed her using her phone while driving.
Russini then tells him she was just on the phone with former New York Giants coach Brian Daboll, prompting her to ask if he is a fan of the Giants or New York Jets.
He responds that he likes the Minnesota Vikings. Russini then flashes her phone which apparently showed a text exchange between her and the team’s head coach, Kevin O’Connell.
“Look what I said to him, though, just now, go to the bottom,” Russini said while holding out her phone to the officer.
“Oh my God. Wow. Pretty cool!” the officer says. Russini replied that the team’s quarterback “sucks.”
The officer agreed and eventually took her documentation back to his patrol car. When he returned, the officer let her know that he would be letting her go without a ticket.
“I’m gonna cut you a break on the cellphone. I understand your job requires you to be on the phone a lot. Just try to wait ‘til you get home, Okay?” he said.
A spokesperson for the Ridgewood Police Department told The Center Square that the officer “exercised his professional discretion and issued a verbal warning to Ms. Russini,” which is consistent with the department’s policy.
“Police officers are encouraged to use their judgment and, when appropriate, provide motorists with warnings as part of the Department’s commitment to fair, impartial and community-oriented policing,” Captain Glenn Ender said.
The Independent has contacted the Ridgewood Police Department and The New York Times for comment.
It is against journalistic practice to offer up the names of confidential sources, as Center Square investigative reporter Adam Herbets noted in an X thread about the story.
On a February episode of the sports show, Stugotz and Company, Russini told a different story, claiming she had allowed the cop to FaceTime with an unnamed football coach. While retelling the story she said she asked the officer, “Do you want to talk to the coach? You should talk to the coach,” before she FaceTimed him.
Russini then claimed that the coach helped her get out of the ticket by telling the police officer: “You should let her go, she’s a good citizen.”
The Times Company said the story Russini told on the podcast was “unacceptable conduct.” She had not received approval to appear on the podcast, which was required by the publication.
Russini left her $800,000-a-year job at The Athletic, which is owned by The New York Times, over tabloid photos showing her cozying up with Vrabel, the Patriots’ coach at a luxury Arizona resort in March.
Both Russini, 43, and Vrabel, 50, have denied a romantic relationship.
However, the incident prompted The New York Times to launch an investigation into Russini’s reporting. The findings of the investigation are still pending.
Russini had been with The Athletic since 2023 after nearly a decade at ESPN.
Vrabel won three Super Bowls as a player with the Patriots. He is preparing for his second season coaching the team, after leading them to a 14-3 finish last season, which concluded with a Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
