Body-camera footage of a Jan. 19 traffic stop involving former NFL journalist Dianna Russini is circulated amid disputes over an earlier account she gave publicly about avoiding a ticket. In radio and podcast remarks cited by multiple outlets, Russini said she kept texting while driving and claimed she avoided punishment by having the officer FaceTime an NFL coach. Police say the officer followed department protocol after reviewing Russini’s driving history and issued a warning rather than a citation.
According to the bodycam clips described across the reports, the video does not show any FaceTime call to an NFL head coach. One account says Russini mentions NFL coaches Sean McDermott and Brian Daboll and later shows texts involving coach Kevin O’Connell, but the footage does not depict the FaceTime scenario she described. The outlets also report that police assert the warning was issued after the officer’s review, with no indication in the video that the alleged FaceTime action occurred.
Overall, the competing claims focus on whether the FaceTime incident happened, while the police-reviewed bodycam footage presented by reporters shows none.
