Thread: Jets coach Rex Ryan apologizes for cursing at fan

Jets coach Rex Ryan apologizes for cursing at fan

By J.P. Pelzman
November 14, 2011
BY J.P. PELZMAN

FLORHAM PARK -- Jets coach Rex Ryan will have more to answer to than just his team’s lousy performance Sunday night, now that a video of him cursing at a fan has surfaced on YouTube.

On the video, Ryan and the Jets’ players and staff are seen walking into the tunnel. A fan yells out to Ryan, "Belichick’s better than you," and Ryan tells him to shut up, adding an expletive for good measure.

The NFL already is interested in this, according to reports, and Ryan very well could be fined. Remember, he was fined $50,000 by the Jets for making an obscene gesture to a heckling Dolphins fan at an MMA event in southern Florida in 2010.

In his news conference Monday afternoon, Ryan apologized, saying, "I obviously made a mistake. I was full of emotion and just popped off. ... I apologize. I made a mistake. ... Sometimes, my emotions get the best of me."

Interestingly, Ryan said the incident happened as the Jets were going into the tunnel at halftime, not after the game.

The bottom line is that Ryan is an emotional person, but he needs to show more self-control when heckled. He can’t respond and let his frustration get the better of him.

In other news, Ryan was vague about the condition of RB LaDainian Tomlinson (left knee), saying the team’s trainers told him they believe LT will be OK. When asked if Tomlinson will play Thursday at Denver, Ryan replied, "I hope." He also didn’t provide further updates on WR Pat Turner (kidney) and S Brodney Pool (knee).

Ryan was asked about the ill-advised timeout called by QB Mark Sanchez with 17 seconds left on the play clock, just before his TD run. It gave the Pats 16 extra seconds to play, and they scored their go-ahead TD with nine seconds left in the half. Ryan explained that he, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh were talking about taking a timeout, and when Sanchez heard them in his headset, he got only part of the conversation and believed they wanted the timeout immediately.

Ryan also defended his ill-advised decision to put Joe McKnight in for a punt return in the third quarter. His muff set up a New England field goal.

"We’re trying to make a play," Ryan said, adding that McKnight is "a home-run hitter. ... We weren’t thinking about him fumbling a punt."

From Jets coach Rex Ryan apologizes for cursing at fan - NorthJersey.com

LOL who cares! It wasn't that big of a deal..Rex is rex. You've seen Hard Knocks, he has a bad mouth