Rob Bironas accused of second road rage incident before crash

A group of students was the victim of a road rage incident involving former Tennessee Titans kicker Rob Bironas, making it the second such known incident in the hours before his fatal crash.

A group of students say that former Tennessee Titans kicker Rob Bironas threatened to kill them shortly before his car crash this weekend, constituting the second alleged road rage incident involving Bironas in the hours before his death, according to a report from The Tennesseean.

Connor Fraley told the newspaper that a pickup truck he was traveling in as a passenger along with three fellow students pulled up next to Bironas's SUV at an intersection on Saturday night, shortly after Bironas's wife called police to report him missing. 

Fraley said those in his vehicle noticed a burning smell coming from Bironas's vehicle, the window of which was down. According to his account to The Tennesseean, Fraley told Bironas about the smell, and in response, he said "I'm going to kill everybody in your (expletive) vehicle." Bironas then engaged the pickup truck in what became a high-speed chase and tried to sideswipe the students before they managed to lose him.

“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

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“I’ve never gotten a look from somebody like that, I just don’t understand it. That’s a face that’s been in my head the last few days.”

On Monday, it was reported that a couple called police to tell them that Bironas had tried to run their vehicle off the road. That incident occurred just before Bironas ran off the road and crashed into a line of trees.

Bironas was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Police have said there was no evidence of alcohol or drugs at the scene, and an investigation is still ongoing.

Bironas was released by the Titans in March after playing nine seasons for the team.

- Ben Estes