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2 ex-football players die in LA car crash

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former NFL tackle Darrell Russell and another ex-football player were killed on Thursday when their speeding car veered out of control on a Los Angeles street -- hitting a curb, fire hydrant, two trees, a newsstand and light pole before slamming into an empty bus.

Authorities said Russell and Mike Bastianelli, who starred alongside Russell at the University of Southern California, were rushed to local hospitals after the 6 a.m. (9 a.m. EST/1400 GMT) crash and died there of massive injuries.

"This was a very serious car accident. The car was traveling at a very high rate of speed," Los Angeles Police Lt. Paul Vernon said.

Local news reports said Russell and Bastianelli, who were both 29, may have been racing another vehicle, but Vernon said investigators had not confirmed that. He said autopsies would determine if either man was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.

Bastianelli was behind the wheel of a 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix owned by another former USC and NFL player, Larry Parker, who was not involved in the crash.

Police said Parker had given Russell and Bastianelli permission to use the car.

A standout at USC, Russell played tackle for the Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was suspended several times for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy before he was released in 2004.

Vernon said Bastianelli and Russell were speeding down La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles and made several erratic lane changes before losing control of the car while trying to negotiate a turn.

The car went over a curb, where it crashed through a tree, newsstand, fire hydrant and light pole, then sheared off a second tree and hurled it into a parking lot before the vehicle smashed into the rear of a disabled bus.

The driver of the bus, who had been standing on the nearby sidewalk, ran to safety. Vernon said investigators had not yet determined the speed of the car at the time of the crash or where the two men were going at the time.

Fire crews worked for more than 20 minutes to free the men from their the car.

Sounds suspicously like Dumb Asshole Syndrome, no?

There has got to be a logical explanation as to why they were going so fast in a city known for traffic moving slowly or not at all. Just giddy that they could depress the right pedal more than halfway before putting on the brakes.

Actually if you're headed South on La Cienega there's about a 2 mile stretch thru Ladera Heights (the black Beverly Hills for you fans of Reservoir Dogs) with no stop lights & if you get it at the right time it's hard not to speed.

I guess i never went out that way much when I lived there. Musta had some sixth sense about dudes driving fast and bangin into light poles, hydrants and such.

Did you see the car? The top was completely sheered off.

no where are the pics?
pstpicsplsthx!

Are you nominating them for a Darwin Award?

I have no knowledge of 'football' whatsoever but I really hate it when newspapers write things like this. Name both of them or neither!

They're both dead but only one of them is important, apparently, because he was better known than the other. It's like the ultimate "fuck you". They should send a newspaper man round to dance on Mike Bastianelli grave just to complete the offense!

This part doesn't make sense to me- it just doesn't go together.



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Darrell Russell will always remind me of "Revolution #2" by the Butthole Surfers when Gibby just starts saying random names.....I think he gets hung up confusing Daryl Royal and Darrell Russell but it always comes back to Bubby Brister...and Robin Givens.

Viewed on TV, sorry. That car bounced around like a frickin' pinball.

Amen. Darwin at it's finest.



This is probably because it took the firemen over an hour to cut them free from the car.