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Students say Rob Bironas chased, threatened them before fatal crash
In yet another odd plot twist following the death of former NFL kicker Rob Bironas, two students at Belmont University in Nashville say that Bironas threatened to kill them and crash his SUV into their truck just minutes before he died in a one-car crash, per the Tennessean.
This comes after a woman's frantic 911 call indicates that Bironas, 36, tried to run her and her husband off the road.
Connor Fraley, the 20-year-old Belmont student who was a a passenger in a pickup truck, said that the former Tennessee Titans kicker tried to hit him and the driver during a high-speed chase after Bironas threatened them minutes before. The interaction happened after Fraley and the driver noticed a burning smell coming from Bironas' white SUV.
"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."
Another Belmont student was driving the truck, and Fraley was in the front passenger seat, with two female students in the back. Bironas followed the truck as they sped to get away before he eventually lost them.
Fraley reported that Bironas "tried to sideswipe the vehicle and missed us by a foot.
"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."
Metro police said the investigation into the fatal crash was "ongoing." Bironas lost control of his SUV and hit several trees before dying.
Fraley said he called police and spoke with a 911 dispatcher during their incident with Bironas before the students were able to escape. They met with police officers later Saturday night, and the driver — identified only as "Spencer" — gave a detailed description of the SUV driver. Fraley said his roommate texted him a photo of Bironas on Sunday morning and that he identified him as the man whom they interacted with.
Bironas married Rachel Bradshaw, daughter of former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and Fox NFL analyst Terry Bradshaw, in June. She had reported Bironas missing Saturday night after leaving around 10:30 p.m. Bironas played for the Titans from 2005-2013 before being released in March and was the franchise's second all-time leading scorer with 1,032 points.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
