New Witness Disputes Dianna Russini’s Role in Viral Car Crash Rescue

Tipsters told TMZ that Dianna Russini did not play a heroic role in saving an old man and his dog who were in a car accident.

New Witness Disputes Dianna Russini’s Role in Viral Car Crash Rescue

Dianna Russini, Mike Vrabel and the crashed Jeep inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/TMZ)

In Short
  • Dianna Russini's role in rescuing an elderly man from a flipped vehicle is disputed, with reports indicating her husband did the actual rescue.
  • Witnesses claim Russini only held the dog's leash after it escaped the vehicle, contradicting initial reports of her climbing on top to help.
  • Russini recently resigned from The Athletic amid controversy over her relationship with NFL coach Mike Vrabel, which has drawn media scrutiny.

Dianna Russini’s rescue of an elderly man and his dog trapped in a flipped vehicle takes a twist and a turn. According to the latest report, Russini is not the hero in this story.

While heading back to her residence in New York, Russini and her husband, Kevin Goldschmidt, encountered a crashed Jeep resting on its side. In the initial report from Page Six, Russini climbed on top of the vehicle to help the trapped escape safely.

However, that’s not entirely true. Bystanders and first responders told TMZ that it was Russini’s husband who freed the old man and his canine.

After speaking to a different tipster this week, the outlet now claims all Russini did was hold the dog’s leash after it exited the crashed Jeep. So, who was the REAL hero?? The new tipster said it was actually their husband who did the heavy lifting.

TMZ wrote

Earlier this week, Tony Farmer, NFL analyst and expert on all things 49ers, questioned Page Six’s attempts to paint Russini as a hero just days after she resigned from The Athletic after the scandal of her photos going viral with married Mike Vrabel, who has been married for over 20 years.

Farmer noticed a sunroof cut in the ceiling of the aforementioned Jeep. Russini had no reason to climb on the side of the vehicle; she could have dragged the two out through the exposed sunroof.

Farmer reached out to a couple of Page Six reporters for clarification, but has yet to receive any reply. He further speculated the reason behind Russini leaving Twitter amidst the ongoing investigation into workplace adultery. Farmer pointed out that Russini remained active on the platform until a 2021 post linking her son, Michael Andrew, to Vrabel was rediscovered by online conspiracy theorists.

What is Dianna Russini doing right now?

On April 9, the New York Post published an article that contained photos of Vrabel hugging and holding hands with Russini. The photos reportedly were taken at a luxury hotel in Arizona, popular with couples.

New Witness Disputes Dianna Russini’s Role in Viral Car Crash Rescue
Dianna Russini (Image via CNN)

Russini and Vrabel downplayed the photos as innocent and harmless. The Athletic supported Russini, while the Patriots stayed silent. However, a few days later, The Athletic sidelined Russini and launched an investigation before determining their next course of action. Russini did not wait for the results and announced that she had resigned from her position as an NFL insider.

Russini joined The Athletic in 2023. Before that, she worked nearly decade at ESPN as a reporter and a host. Her former colleague and long time ESPN contributor, Stephen A. Smith, put the blame on Russini.

If [Dianna] says this stuff isn’t true, I’m gonna believe her until further evidence to the contrary is provided. Having said that, it still didn’t stop me from saying that when you know that you are a reporter and this is a head coach of an NFL team and you cover the NFL, you can’t put yourself in that position.

Smith said on SiriusXM and Mad Dog Sports Radio show (H/T Awful Announcing)

Russini married Goldschmidt in 2020. They have two sons, Michael and Joesph Kevin.

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