It’s hard to imagine a crazier week than the one Dianna Russini has had.
Russini broke the sports internet when suggestive photos surfaced of her and New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel at a luxury hotel in Sedona, Arizona. Those photos set off a firestorm of speculation, questions, and obvious issues around journalistic objectivity, considering her role at The Athletic.
After initially backing her, The Athletic announced they were going to investigate Russini’s behavior. Shortly after that announcement, Russini resigned while rejecting the “narrative” she said had been “constructed” around the incident.
All of that already represented an insane whirlwind that unquestionably changed her life, permanently. But that’s not the only wild thing to happen to the NFL reporter this week.
The New York Post’s Page Six reported on Friday evening that Russini “mounted a daring rescue of an elderly man and his dog from an overturned Jeep.”
The accident occurred around 5 p.m. Wednesday, when, per local New Jersey outlet Patch, a 17-year-old in a Honda Civic collided with a Jeep when making a turn, which flipped the SUV onto its side. In a sign of the severity of the accident, the Jeep’s position reportedly trapped the 73-year-old man and his dog inside.
Page Six spoke to an eyewitness, who said Russini was “driving along the same road as the Jeep, and the accident happened right in front of her car.”
“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,” said the eyewitness. Local police arrived soon afterward.
Russini hasn’t spoken about the crash to this point, but it adds to what’s been one of the wildest weeks in recent memory.
