A bizarre twist in the Rob Bironas tragedy potentially could cause more damage to the reputation of NFL players in the wake of recent reports of domestic violence.
Two different witnesses are testifying they had a run-in with Bironas in their vehicles shortly before he lost control of his SUV and ran into several trees before his vehicle ended up upside down in a drainage culvert. The crash killed Bironas.
Terry Bradshaw's son-in-law, Rob Bironas, was killed in a single-car crash
USA TODAY Sports reported that two Belmont University students reported that Bironas threatened to kill them and tried to sideswipe their truck before he confronted a man and a woman in another car and tried to run them off the road.
According to USA TODAY Sports, "Connor Fraley, a 20-year-old student, said he was a passenger in a pickup truck that Bironas tried to hit on Franklin Road during a high-speed chase, after Bironas made threatening comments at an intersection minutes earlier."
The allegations were made one day after a 911 call to police on Saturday was made public in which a woman told police that Bironas, a kicker for the Tennessee Titans for nine seasons and the son-in-law of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, tried to run her vehicle off the road before crashing himself.
Fraley said his encounter, in which he was with three other Belmont students and a passenger in a vehicle that was behind Bironas' SUV, took place at 10:30 p.m., after Rachel Bradshaw - Bironas' wife - called police to report him missing.
"His window was down, and we pulled up and I said, 'Hey man, just a heads up, something's burning from your exhaust. Your exhaust smells horrible, just wanted to let you know,' " Fraley recalled telling Bironas. "He looked over at me and said 'I'm going to kill everybody in your (expletive) vehicle.' It was so random, so bizarre I was like, 'What?' And he said the exact same thing again."
Fraley told USA TODAY Sports that the driver of the truck in which Fraley was a passenger tried to speed away, but Bironas chased after them. Fraley said the driver, a male friend (two females were in the back) got up to 110 miles per hour in trying to escape Bironas.
"I am not trying to soil this guy's reputation or his legacy. I know this community thinks very fondly of him. I am just being honest, and I'm trying to get this off my chest. He tried to kill us. He told us he was going to try and kill us,'' Fraley said.
A woman told the Tennessean (a subsidiary of USA TODAY) that she witnessed Bironas confronting the woman and the man. The 911 call from the woman took place at about 11 p.m. The witness, Daphne Lauderdale, said the white SUV reportedly belonging to Bironas was stopped next to the car of the woman and the man. The SUV was partially on the road.
"As we got closer, the white SUV took (off) like a bat out of hell, and passed us,'' Lauderdale, 44, said. "He passed us going very fast. We were like 'Holy crap, what was that?' It was startling how fast he was going. He was going very, very fast. He was stopped, and he just floored it."
Nashville metro police spokesman Don Aaron said the driver of the white SUV gave the couple a dirty look after nearly hitting their car while changing lanes on Franklin Road heading south toward Battery Lane. The couple turned right on Battery Lane and pulled to the side of the road, and Bironas pulled up alongside the couple. The husband, who was in the passenger seat of the car, got out to confront Bironas.
That's when Bironas took off.
Rachel Bradshaw said Bironas had a beer earlier in the evening but was not intoxicated. She said it was unusual for him to leave without telling her.
Do you think the police will be able to uncover any more of the Rob Bironas story to clear up the disturbing reports? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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