11/11/2026 04:31:00
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11/11 16:30 CST Former NFL coach Rex Ryan turns himself in after allegedly
hitting Nashville pedestrians
Former NFL coach Rex Ryan turns himself in after allegedly hitting Nashville
pedestrians
By KRISTIN M. HALL and HANNAH FINGERHUT
Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) --- Former NFL coach Rex Ryan turned himself in to
Nashville police Wednesday on misdemeanor charges after he allegedly hit two
pedestrians with his truck in a popular area downtown last week and then drove
off after an argument, police said.
Ryan was driving a pickup truck when he allegedly ran over the feet of both
individuals, who had the right of way crossing a main street in Nashville's
honky-tonk and music tourist district Thursday night, police said in a release
Wednesday.
The pedestrians involved, who sustained minor injuries, waved Ryan down at
another red light and said he stepped out to argue with them, according to
police. They took a photo of the driver and the truck's license plate, police
said.
Ryan, an ESPN football analyst, was on the network Sunday for the NFL pregame
show and Monday for a morning show, both of which are taped in New York.
Ryan "immediately surrendered" himself to authorities after learning of the
charges, his attorney, David Raybin, said Wednesday.
"From the outset, Coach Ryan has been fully cooperative with law enforcement
and he intends to remain cooperative as the case moves forward," Raybin said.
"Because we just received the warrant today, we currently have limited
information regarding the allegations."
Ryan was charged with two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, two
counts of failure to give information or render aid and two counts of failure
to obey a traffic control signal, according to court records. All are
misdemeanors.
A judicial commissioner set Ryan's bond at $6,000, but he qualified for
pretrial release, according to the Davidson County Sheriff's Office. That means
he was released on non-financial conditions. He is scheduled to appear in court
next month.
Ryan is a former head coach of the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, leading the
Jets to the AFC championship game in consecutive years after the 2009 and 2010
seasons.
While with the Jets, Ryan became one of the team's --- and the NFL's -- most
popular figures, especially during his first few seasons as coach, because of
his brash, colorful approach in news conferences that became must-watch TV.
He has not coached since being fired by the Bills with one game left in the
2016 season, though he has since expressed an interest in coaching and
interviewed in 2025 for the Jets' head coaching vacancy when Aaron Glenn was
hired.
His father, the late Buddy Ryan, was an NFL coaching legend who famously
coordinated the 1985 Chicago Bears defense that was one of the best in history.
Seth Ryan, one of Rex Ryan's two sons, is currently in his first season as the
Jets' passing game coordinator.
Ryan is best known now for his work at ESPN as one of the analysts on the
network's NFL pregame show.
"We are aware and are in touch with Rex," ESPN said in a statement Wednesday.
___
Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press writers Dennis
Waszak Jr. in Florham Park, New Jersey, and Joe Reedy in Cleveland contributed.
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