Back when he was the head coach of the New York Jets in 2010, Rex Ryan made news for having a foot fetish.
However, Ryan allegedly causing some damage to the feet of two pedestrians while driving his truck last week resulted in him being arrested by Nashville police on Wednesday morning, according to TMZ.
Ryan, who currently works as a NFL analyst at ESPN, turned himself in to police after a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
The former Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach is charged with six misdemeanor counts: two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, two counts of failing to give information/render aid, and two counts of failing to obey traffic signals.
Ryan was charged after he allegedly ran over the feet of two pedestrians while making a right turn just before midnight in Nashville last Thursday.
Police say Ryan kept driving, but the two pedestrians were able to catch up to him at a red light. Once at the red light, an argument ensued between the ex-coach and the pedestrians.
Ryan exited his vehicle at one point during the argument, according to police, before he ultimately left the scene of the incident in his vehicle. The pedestrians took a photograph of Ryan’s license plate and reported the incident to police, ultimately leading to Ryan turning himself in on Wednesday morning.
The longtime ESPN analyst had his bond amount set at $6,000.
Some online pointed out the irony of alleged feet damage getting Ryan into trouble, given that he and his wife, Michelle, were at the center of an internet controversy involving her feet back in 2010.
In 2010, digital news site Deadspin reported on a YouTube account allegedly dedicated to showing off Michelle’s feet for those seeking foot fetish videos online. The former Jets coach’s hands were alleged to be featured rubbing his wife’s feet in at least one of the videos.
The alleged videos belonging to the Ryan couple were no longer posted after 2009, the same year he became the Jets head coach. The viral story has lived on in the form of internet memes, although it happened over 15 years ago.
Rex spoke about his love of feet during an October 2024 appearance on “The Pivot” podcast with his ex-ESPN colleague Ryan Clark.
“I love my wife’s feet,” Ryan said on the podcast. “I don’t know what it is, but if a chick’s got jacked up feet I’m out. I don’t care how gorgeous [she is]. I’m out.”
Before coaching the Jets in 2009, the 63-year-old Ryan was an assistant on the Baltimore Ravens staff from 1999-2008. Ryan got the Jets to back-to-back AFC title games in his first two seasons, but he was fired in 2014 after a 4-12 finish.
Ryan immediately got another head coach opportunity with the Buffalo Bills, but he was again let go after a 15-16 record in two seasons.
The former NFL coach then joined ESPN in April 2017, and he regularly appears on shows like “Sunday NFL Countdown,” “Get Up,” and “SportsCenter.”
