NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Former NFL coach Rex Ryan turned himself in to Nashville police Wednesday on misdemeanor charges after allegedly hitting two pedestrians with his truck in a working-class downtown neighborhood last week and then driving away after an argument, police said.
Ryan was driving a pickup truck when he allegedly ran over the feet of the two individuals, who had the right of way on a main street in Nashville’s honky-tonk and music tourist district Thursday evening, police said in a news release Wednesday.
The pedestrians involved, who suffered minor injuries, waved Ryan down at another red light and said he had gotten out to talk 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 taped in New York.
Ryan “immediately turned himself in” to authorities after learning of the charges, his lawyer, David Raybin, said Wednesday.
This booking photo released by the Metro Nashville Police Department shows former NFL football coach Rex Ryan. (Metro Nashville Police Department via AP)
License for this photo
“From the beginning, Coach Ryan has fully cooperated with law enforcement and he intends to remain cooperative as the case progresses,” Raybin said. “As 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 assistance and two counts of failure to obey a traffic control signal, according to court records. These are all crimes.
A court commissioner set Ryan’s bond at $6,000, but he was eligible for pretrial release, according to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office. This means he was released on non-financial conditions. He is due 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 following the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
While with the Jets, Ryan became one of the team’s – and the NFL’s – most popular figures, particularly during his first seasons as coach, due to his brash and colorful approach during press conferences that became must-see television.
He hasn’t coached since being fired by the Bills with one game remaining in the 2016 season, although he has since expressed interest in coaching and interviewed in 2025 for the Jets head coaching job when Aaron Glenn was hired.
His father, the late Buddy Ryan, was an NFL coaching legend who coordinated the 1985 Chicago Bears defense, 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 now best known for his work at ESPN as an analyst for the network’s NFL pregame show.
“We are aware and are in contact with Rex,” ESPN said in a statement Wednesday.
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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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