Ex-NFL kicker Rob Bironas reportedly involved in two road-rage incidents before fatal crash
Former Tennessee Titans kicker Rob Bironas was involved in incidents with two vehicles shortly before he was killed in a single-car accident.
A woman told a 911 dispatcher former Titans kicker Rob Bironas was driving erratically just before his SUV crashed.
The 911 call was obtained Monday by several media outlets.
A Belmont University student also called 911 Saturday night and said that Bironas was chasing the truck the student and three others were in and tried to run them off the road, the Nashville Tennessean reported on Tuesday.
Connor Fraley, 20, said the students smelled something burning from Bironas’ SUV and sought to tell him.
“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 told the Tennessean. “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 said Bironas, whom he didn’t recognize until he saw a photo of him the next day, followed the truck the students were in and tried to sideswipe them.
“The girls in the back seat were starting to freak out because he was swerving on the road in between lanes, all over the place.” Fraley said. “We had no idea who he was and why he was trying to harm us. It was a fight-or-flight situation and, unfortunately, we had to take flight at about 110 miles per hour. It was very scary.”
Fraley said he called 911 and talked to a dispatcher nearly the length of the incident before the students managed to lose Bironas in a residential area.
The woman in the other car told the dispatcher that neither she nor her husband recognized the man who drove up behind them. She says he pulled his SUV up beside their vehicle and gave them a look before speeding away. The woman told the dispatcher the man was dangerous and police needed to know something was wrong with him.
“We let him go on past us because he was trying to run me off the road and we don’t know who he was,” the woman told the dispatcher.
A Metro Nashville police spokesman says the accident investigation is ongoing. An autopsy was performed.
The Tennessean reported Monday night that Bironas’ wife reported him missing to police Saturday night.
Bironas, 36, died Saturday night. Police said he was speeding when he lost control in a curve and that there was no evidence of alcohol or drugs at the scene.
The Titans released Bironas in March after nine seasons. Bironas worked out for Tampa Bay during the offseason and worked out last week for the Detroit Lions, who announced Monday that they plan to sign former Eagles kicker Alex Henery.
Bironas married Rachel Bradshaw, daughter of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, in June.
This story was originally published September 23, 2014 at 10:38 AM with the headline "Ex-NFL kicker Rob Bironas reportedly involved in two road-rage incidents before fatal crash."