Dianna Russini’s claim of FaceTiming NFL coach to get out of ticket rebuked by bodycam footage — but she did name-drop two

Former NFL reporter Dianna Russini never FaceTimed an NFL coach to get out of a traffic ticket, as she once claimed during an appearance on a radio show earlier this year. 

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Russini, who has been at the center of controversy since Page Six published a series of photos showing the married NFL insider too close for comfort with married Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, told the story in February when she was on the “Stugotz and Company” show.

Russini, who resigned from her insider job with The Athletic in April amid the controversy, claimed during the appearance that she had video-called an unnamed NFL coach of the favorite team of the cop who pulled her over and it helped get her out of a ticket. 

The story resurfaced in a lengthy piece published by the New York Times last week exploring the controversy surrounding Russini. 

But police body cam footage of the traffic stop now shows a different version of events going down — and that Russini clearly embellished the encounter. 

The body camera video shows the stop playing out over a seven-minute and 10-second span and at no time does Russini FaceTime anyone, let alone an NFL coach. 

What she did do, the video showed, was share that she had been texting with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and showed the cop the texts. 

The stop happened in Ridgewood, N.J., after Russini was stopped for using her phone while driving.

Russini already appeared to know why she had been stopped when the officer approached her vehicle. 

“I’m an NFL reporter, and I just broke that [coach] Sean McDermott got fired from the Bills. And that I what I was just sending to send, a tweet,” she told the officer. “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 work thing and it was an emergency for what I do.” 

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The officer notes that she had been on her phone “for a while” before he stopped her and that he did “understand you’ve got a job.”

Russini does move the conversation back to football, telling the cop that she was on the phone with former Giants coach Brian Daboll and that he “wants the job” in Buffalo. 

After asking if he was a Jets or Giants fan and the cop revealing he was a Vikings fan, she then showed him the texts with O’Connell. 

She also said that the Vikings’ “quarterback sucks.”

Eventually the officer lets her know that she won’t be getting 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, OK?” he said. 

It would seem that while Russini’s job did help her get a little goodwill, the story wasn’t as dramatic as originally told. 

Ridgewood Police have also issued a statement from Chief Forest Ross Lyons about the encounter. 

“On January 19, 2026, at 9:40 am, a Ridgewood police officer conducted a motor vehicle stop on Godwin Avenue involving Ms. Dianna Russini for the use of a handheld cell phone while driving,” he said in the statement to Pro Football Talk.

“After following department protocol during the stop, and reviewing Ms. Russini’s driving history, the officer exercised his professional discretion and issued a verbal warning to Ms. Russini.

“The use of officer discretion in determining whether to issue a warning or a citation is consistent with Ridgewood Police Department policy and longstanding practice. 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.”

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