The bodycam video from Dianna Russini’s traffic stop is out, and it tells a much simpler story than the one she shared on the radio.
Adam Herbets of the Center Square posted the seven minute, 10 second clip, which captures the full stop. At no point does Russini FaceTime any NFL head coach.
That matters because Russini said during a February segment with the Stugotz and Company radio show that she had used a FaceTime call to get help after being pulled over for texting while driving. But the video doesn’t back that up.
When the officer walks up to her car, Russini explains herself right away: “I’m an NFL reporter, and I just broke that Sean McDermott got fired from the Bills. And that I what I was just sending to send [sic], a tweet.
I was gonna pull over, because I have to make calls. I know you don’t care, but I just wanted you to know my reason why.”
The officer responds, “Obviously you were on your phone for a while. . . . I understand you’ve got a job.”
Russini then says, “You know who I was on the phone with? Brian Daboll. He wants the job.”
The conversation turns light from there. She asks whether the officer roots for the Giants or Jets, and he tells her, “I’m actually - I’m not a fan of either,” before saying, “I’m a Vikings fan, unfortunately.”
Russini shows him her phone and a text exchange with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, but the video makes clear she did not FaceTime him. She also says of the Vikings, their “quarterback sucks.”
After returning to his vehicle, the officer comes back and lets her off with a warning: “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, OK?”
That’s the whole thing. No FaceTime call.
No dramatic intervention. Just a traffic stop that turned into a good story - even if the bodycam says otherwise.
In Other News...
Mets Just Sent A Troubling Message About Kevin Parada
Kevin Paradas path through the Mets system has taken another turn, and it is not the kind that usually inspires confidence in a former first-round pick. After an uneven run in the minors this season, the catcher showed a brief offensive spike in Triple-A, but the Mets still opted to move him back to Double-A, where the bat has cooled again and the overall picture remains choppy on both sides of the ball.
For a player whose development was supposed to center on steady progress, the shuffle is a telling sign. Paradas struggles have left him squeezed by the organizations current catching depth, with more experienced options offering a cleaner fit for a club that needs reliability behind the plate. For now, the message is less about one bad stretch than about how much ground he still has to make up. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Bullpen Rehab Bet Already Looks Like A Wasted Move
Adbert Alzolay was supposed to be the kind of low-cost bullpen bet that could pay off later, especially for a Mets club always looking for ways to find relief help without giving up anything of value. Signed to a two-year minor league contract while recovering from Tommy John surgery, the right-hander has spent all of 2024 in the minors, with the hope that he could eventually become an internal option and maybe even an unexpected late-season chip.
Instead, his time at Triple-A Syracuse has been rough enough to make that plan look shaky. Alzolay has struggled to miss bats and keep runners off base, and the Mets still have not cut bait, suggesting they are willing to keep waiting for signs of a turnaround rather than give up on the rehab project just yet. [Read more 🡒]
Three Looming Threats Could Derail The Mets 2027 Vision
Steve Cohens long view for the Mets has always rested on the idea that money, smart front-office work and a steady talent pipeline can keep the club in contention year after year. But as the organization looks toward 2026 and 2027, there are real questions building around how much of that plan can actually hold. Cohen is keeping David Stearns in place to help navigate the next stretch, even as concerns linger about whether the president of baseball operations is flexible enough to adjust if the roster needs a different kind of fix.
The other pressure point is bigger than one executive. The next collective bargaining agreement could reshape how far Cohens spending edge goes, and the minor league system has not delivered the kind of clean answers the Mets were hoping for. Several players expected to be part of the core by then have not taken the expected step forward, which leaves the front office trying to build a contender while also waiting for development to catch up. [Read more 🡒]