Former Jets and Bills Coach Rex Ryan Turns Himself In After Alleged Nashville Hit-and-Run

Rex Ryan, the former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach who has spent recent years as an ESPN analyst, turned himself in to Nashville police on Wednesday to face charges in an alleged hit-and-run that left two pedestrians with minor injuries, The Associated Press reported ^[1]. A judicial commissioner set his bond at $6,000, and he was granted pretrial release Wednesday morning ^[1].

Ryan, 63, is charged with six misdemeanors, according to WSMV: 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 ^[2]. The AP reported the same counts from court records ^[1]. None of the allegations has been tested in court.

What Police Say Happened

According to the police account reported by WSMV, the incident happened late on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at Fourth Avenue and Broadway in downtown Nashville ^[2], a main street in the city's popular tourist district ^[1]. Two pedestrians were crossing with a walk signal when a pickup truck turning right from Fourth Avenue allegedly ran over both of their feet and struck one of them in the leg ^[2][3]. The AP, citing police, said Ryan turned at a red light while the pedestrians had the right of way ^[1].

The pedestrians told officers the truck kept going until it stopped at a red light at Broadway and Rep. John Lewis Way ^[2]. They waved down the driver, whom police identified as Ryan; he allegedly got out, argued with them, returned to the truck and drove away ^[2]. TMZ, citing Nashville police, described the argument as heated and said the driver left without exchanging information ^[4]. The pedestrians photographed the driver and the license plate, which was registered to Ryan, and police then issued a warrant for his arrest ^[2][3].

Police characterized the injuries to both pedestrians as minor ^[1][3]. The reports did not identify the two people who were struck.

A Long Football Life

Ryan's family name has been part of the sport for decades. His late father, Buddy Ryan, was a coaching legend who ran the defense for the 1985 Chicago Bears, a unit widely considered one of the best in NFL history ^[1]. Rex Ryan made his own mark in Baltimore, spending ten seasons as a Ravens assistant from 1999 to 2008, the last four as defensive coordinator, and winning Super Bowl XXXV with the club, according to his ESPN biography ^[5]. He was also named the 2006 Assistant Coach of the Year by Pro Football Weekly and the Pro Football Writers Association ^[5].

He went on to coach the Jets from 2009 through 2014 and the Bills in 2015 and 2016 ^[5]. His best years came in New York, where he took the Jets to the AFC Championship Game in back-to-back seasons following the 2009 and 2010 campaigns ^[1]. He joined ESPN in April 2017 and appears mainly on Sunday NFL Countdown, while also contributing to Get Up, SportsCenter and ESPN Radio ^[5].

The Response and the Road Ahead

Ryan has not made a public statement. The AP reported that a phone number believed to belong to him played an automated message and would not take a voicemail, and that court records did not list an attorney for him ^[1]. ESPN answered with a brief statement on Wednesday: "We are aware and are in touch with Rex," a network spokesperson said ^[1]. The statement did not address his on-air schedule.

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Ryan had been on the air two days earlier, appearing Monday on ESPN's morning show Get Up, which is taped in New York ^[1]. He is scheduled to appear in court next month, according to the AP, which did not give a specific date ^[1].

For fans who have welcomed Ryan into their living rooms on Sunday mornings, the case is a sobering one, and it deserves to be handled soberly. The charges themselves reflect a basic duty most Americans learn when they first get behind the wheel: a driver involved in a crash stops, gives his information and makes sure anyone hurt is cared for ^[2]. Police allege that did not happen here, and the pedestrians' account, backed by their photos of the driver and the plate, sits at the center of the case ^[2]. Ryan is entitled to answer it in court.

There is also something to be said for how the process has unfolded so far. Ryan turned himself in, a judicial commissioner set bond, and he was released to await his court date ^[1]. That is how the system is meant to work for the famous and the unknown alike: one set of laws, one set of procedures and the same presumption of innocence for every defendant.