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.
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