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Dianna Russini bragged about using NFL coach to get out of ticket Former NFL insider Dianna Russini was back in the spotlight this week after a New York Times article highlighted an incident when she was pulled over by police in January for texting and driving an..
article highlighted an incident when she was pulled over by police in January for texting and driving and called an NFL coach to help get her out of a ticket.
is currently under review by her former employer to determine if her reporting was influenced by her relationship with Vrabel.
, Russini recalled making a nasty play by using her NFL connections to help her get out of a ticket adding that it was the second time in a month she was pulled over with her kids in the car.WILD: Dianna Russini revealed she got out of a traffic ticket by FaceTiming the head coach of the officers favorite NFL team.
Russini explained that she told the officer she was on her phone because the coach of the Buffalo Bills at the time, Sean McDermott, had been fired, and she was trying to break news.So he names the team and I go, Oh, I love that team.
Do you want to talk to the coach? You should talk to the coach,' Russini said.
Patriots coach, Mike Vrabel, and NFL reporter Dianna Russini at Ambiente Sedona hotel in Arizona on Saturday, March 28, 2026.She then FaceTimed the coach and claimed that he played all into it, telling the officer that you should let her go, shes a good citizen.' Russini added that she was desperate in the moment because I dont want to get a ticket.
My husband is going to kill me.Im texting and driving.
I shouldnt be doing that I know that ..
I a coach to get out of a ticket.
Like what a nasty play but it worked.
Vrabel was not the coach on the FaceTime call with Russini when she was pulled over, according to someone with whom she shared the details of the story.Russinis storytelling on the podcast was unacceptable conduct, said Danielle Rhoades Ha, a Times Company spokeswoman adding that Athletic editors had been unaware of it.This has had a significant impact on my life, both professionally and personally, Russini wrote while referring to herself as an ex-journalist, according to The Times.
Page Six broke the story and published photos on April 7 showing Vrabel and Russini holding hands while at a resort in Arizona in March.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel holds a press conference before minicamp at Gillette Stadium on June 10, 2026.The images were taken months before Russini married her husband Kevin Goldschmidt.
They welcomed a second son in October 2022.
He addressed the situation with reporters ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft and did not specifically mention Russini or the photos.
The coach did say that he wanted to be a better man, and that he had difficult and productive conversations with those he cares about.Patriots coach, Mike Vrabel, and NFL reporter Dianna Russini at Ambiente Sedona hotel in Arizona on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel holds a press conference before minicamp at Gillette Stadium on June 10, 2026.