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.
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