Jets coach flips off Dolphin fans at Strikeforce
Less than a week after the Jets magical postseason ride came to an end, their brash, tell-it-like-it-is rookie head coach…
Less than a week after the Jets magical postseason ride came to an end, their brash, tell-it-like-it-is rookie head coach continued to make headlines. Rex Ryan made an obscene hand gesture to several Miami Dolphins fans at a Mixed Martial Arts event Saturday night in Miami.
Sunday, Ryan apologized in a statement released by the Jets:
It was stupid and inappropriate. I wouldn’t accept that type of behavior from one of the coaches or players and it’s unacceptable from me. I apologize to the Jets organization, the National Football League and NFL fans everywhere.
Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum also weighed in with this statement:
Rex showed extremely poor judgment and his conduct was inappropriate. He knows he was wrong, has apologized and we have accepted his apology. Any other actions regarding this incident will be addressed internally by the organization.
Ryan unfurled the middle finger gesture to Miami resident David M. Hildenbrand and his friends. It’s uncertain whether Ryan was provoked in any manner.
“I’d like to thank everybody here in Miami. I know they love me,” Ryan said Saturday night in an interview with Strikeforce, the company that hosted the event featuring ex-NFL player Herschel Walker’s MMA debut.
“I want to just tell everybody in Miami, ‘Hey, we’re coming to beat you twice next year,'” Ryan said as he was getting booed.
Ryan could be subject to disciplinary action by the league. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 for his obscene gesture to fans in November. Adams extended both middle fingers in a game against the Bills.