Did Dianna Russini help save elderly driver after car crash?

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Dianna Russini, the NFL insider who is embroiled in an alleged infidelity scandal with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, hasn’t had a lot of good news over the past month.

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Now, one of the few positive stories involving the former reporter for The Athletic might not actually have been all that it seemed, either.

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Last month, Russini reportedly had jumped into action at the scene of a car crash near her home in New Jersey.

According to local news site the Patch, Russini was at the scene of a rollover car crash in Wyckoff, NJ, on April 15 and mounted a daring rescue of an elderly man and his dog from an overturned Jeep.

The 73-year-old driver and his dog reportedly were stuck inside during the ordeal as several bystanders gathered before local authorities arrived on scene.

Page Six later reported that Russini had been driving along the same road and sprung into action.

“She ran out and had a tall man put her on top of the Jeep to open the door, and she and the other guy pulled the driver and his dog out of the Jeep,” the outlet reported.

Why did the story change?

However, Page Six then received a conflicting eyewitness account of events two weeks later.

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According a report published the outlet on Thursday, a woman came forward and said that while Russini was on the scene of the accident, she did not climb the car to assist the stricken driver and his pet.

The witness, who is a fellow resident of norther New Jersey, claims it was her own husband who “freed the driver and his dog by ripping open the canvas roof of the Jeep.”

The tipster added that Russini had simply “held the dog’s leash” after it had been extricated and that she “certainly had not scaled the car.”

Local police had confirmed to the outlet that bystanders had helped with the rescue, but they did not provide any further details on their actions.

How the Russini-Vrabel controversy start?

On April 7, New York Post’s Page Six released several photos in which the Patriots head coach and the reporter with The Athletic were seen “holding hands and hugging” in an intimate setting at a luxury hotel in Arizona.

In the photos, which reportedly were taken in March, Vrabel and Russini were seen “hugging at sunset and weaving their fingers together as they (stood) face-to-face” before also briefly dancing together.

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According to the outlet, the pair were spotted on a private rooftop area of the Ambiente hotel in Sedona, Ariz., which markets itself as a luxury adults-only getaway destination with scenic views of the Brins Mesa mountain range.

The area where they were photographed is reportedly only accessible from two-person bungalows that cost more than US$2,100 per evening.

While sources close to both Vrabel and Russini say they were at the hotel with other friends, the outlet originally reported it had received claims from three separate eyewitnesses that Vrabel and Russini had not been seen with anyone else at the hotel.

At the time, both Russini and Vrabel issued stern denials of any wrongdoing or that any sort of affair had taken place.

Russini later resigned from her job with The Athleticjust days after the outlet launched an internal investigation into the reporter’s conduct following the publication of photos of her with Vrabel at an Arizona resort.

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Last week, Vrabel –who recently divulged he will be seeking counselling and skipped the third day of NFL draft – spoke to reporters at a press conference held during the NFL draft but when asked about Russini, the head coach wouldn’t get into details.

“That’s a private and personal matter. I don’t think that those comments … I think that was, you know, I’m always gonna attempt to protect your family,” he told reporters.

“I would never be dismissive, but I think my family and this football team are the most important thing and that’s what I plan to do, and I’m excited about the challenge with both of those things.”

Were more photos released?

Last Thursday, Page Six published more bombshell photos appearing to show the couple – who both are married to other people – kissing at a bar in New York City six years ago.

According to the outlet, Vrabel and Russini were “all over each other” at the Tribeca Tavern while sitting close to each other and conversing on March 11, 2020.

“They were kissing and they were all over each other,” an eyewitness told Page Six, adding the pair were “very close to each other” throughout the evening and that at one point, Russini’s legs were “in between (Vrabel’s) legs.”

At the time of the meeting, Vrabel was married to wife Jen – “He had a ring on,” the insider said — while Russini would go on to marry her husband, Shake Shack executive Kevin Goldschmidt, six months later.

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