Rex Ryan faced extreme provocation before firing middle finger

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 31, 2010, 6:10 PM EDT

On Saturday night, Jets coach Rex Ryan fired off a one-fingered salute just as someone with a cell phone was taking a photo.

Amid rumblings that Ryan could end up being fined by the league for his behavior, we’ve picked up some details regarding the incident.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Ryan directed the middle finger at one specific guy who had been badgering Ryan relentlessly.  “He crossed way over the line,” the source said of the person who provoked Ryan.

The guy accosted Ryan at least three times, yelling “f–k you” and “I hate you” from close distance.  Eventually, Ryan lost his cool. 

Consideration of the background might not keep Ryan from being fined, but it’s an important fact to consider when assessing the situation.

Then again, and as we said earlier, if an NFL head coach can’t control his middle fingers, he shouldn’t be going out in public.  In the city where one of his top rivals is located.

UPDATE:  Per Bob Glauber of Newsday, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says that the league “will look into” the situation.

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36 responses to “Rex Ryan faced extreme provocation before firing middle finger”

  1. I couldn’t give a shit less about Rex Ryan. And if the Jets never win another game… oh well. But when someone says, “Consideration of the background might not keep Ryan from being fined, but it’s an important fact to consider when assessing the situation…” I have to say, that’s GD right. I don’t care if Ryan is an NFL coach, a bank president, or the f’ing pope. A man can only take so much. To hell with ’em, Rex – if they need the one finger salute, lay it on ’em.

  4. Per Bob Glauber of Newsday, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says that the league “will look into” the situation.
    …………………………………………………
    & hopefully this is the last we hear of it
    this is still America…Ryan was not in the workplace & should be free to flip off anyone he likes

  5. Anyone who faces EXTREME PROVOCATION and reacts with a mere one finger salute didn’t step too far out of line in my book.
    Big deal. What was Ryan supposed to do – magically morph into into a 385 pound Dick Vermeil and start sobbing uncontrollably?

  6. Rex was just expressing himself & his feelings the way he has all season…He was just stating..’We’re Number 1′

  7. Idiot fans need attention from someone, anyone to justify their miserable existence. Not a fan of Rex but it sounds like this time he was justified.

  9. i love the double standard. most of you people siding with fatboy for being provoked, are the same people who lambasted ron artest after he was “physically” assaulted. stop flip flopping.

  11. “Then again, and as we said earlier, if an NFL head coach can’t control his middle fingers, he shouldn’t be going out in public.”
    Freedom called. They want a rational opinion, please.

  12. Too bad Rex didn’t stuff a boot up his ass. I’m tired of rude and obnoxious fans/individuals spewing anything they feel like with no consequences for their idiotic actions.

  13. Rex obviously has finger control issues – his fingers keep stuffing his pie hole with delicious treats. I’d recommend surgery, but it sure didn’t do anything for Charlie Weiss.

  14. I think Ryan should have the right to punch this guy square in the face and not be arrested, fined or sued. I am so tired of these gutless punks thinking they can stand behind the potential for a lawsuit or the lawand lambast a public figure. We need to go retro and start making people stand behind what they say. This country is becoming a weak, aimless bunch of cry babies.

  15. Whats next, Tom Coughlin honks his horn when somebody cuts him off in traffic and the league looks into it?
    There has to be a line between work and personal life, and giving a rowdy guy the finger at a UFC event looks like personal life to me.

  17. What do you expect from a guy from New Jersey. I live in New Jersey.
    However if someone could associate me with where I work and I did that. woah harsh consequences.
    Why is this so bad though?
    The afeminization of america continues.

  18. Unfortunately it’s something a coach must deal with and Rex lost his cool. He’s going to get a slap on the wrist and then he’ll learn from this.
    We aren’t in high-profile positions were you are expected to keep your cool regardless of the situation. Do you think Senators and other high profile people get tested on a daily basis.
    In Miami he has to understand he’s going to have to deal with dicks like the one he faced. In any rival town he’s going to come across some asshole who wants to rev Rex up and see how much he can piss him off.
    This prick in Miami probably just got bank for taking the photo and egging him on. Rex is a high-profile coach who must keep his cool at all times and just walk away.

  19. You’re right, since some fans are jerks, NFL coaches and players should all live in complete isolation. It’s the only rational thing to do, Ryan was a jerk for going out in public.
    Honestly, if his target deserved it, why exactly should Ryan be held to a higher standard? I completely support his right to give some jerk the finger.

  20. Oh come on…..if any other NFL head coach walked in that event over the weekend, this would have never happened.
    But because Rex Ryan has such a big-assed mouth and openly disrespects other teams, he gets what got from the fans.
    Ryan is a tool and he needs to learn what STFU means.

  21. I mean what did Rex Expect going to a public event in Florida. Of course there are going to be bitter, pathetic, idiotic Dolphin’s fans, filling the arena to the rafters. I love Miami fans saying we didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs, yet we went on the road and beat 2 tames no one thought we could beat. Last year they got the same opportunity, and fell on their faces. Maybe they wish their team was run by Rex instead.

  22. Seems like Rex can’t take not being the one throwing out insults….i hate that pregnant chin shrek

  23. This guy gets paid millions of dollars to take that kind of abuse. If the league doesn’t like it, then he needs to learn how to not take it personally or start working at the post office where they tolerate that kind of behavior.

  25. He obviously inherited his father’s temper. At least he didn’t punch the guy out like his dad did Kevin Gilbride!

  26. If he doesn’t want to hear the rants then he needs to stay his fat arse out of Florida. I have seen him eat endangered species off the inlet in West Palm Beach. Ryan stay your fat arse in New York and worry about getting his crappy team their own stadium.

  28. Fans take rivalries much more seriously than players. The NFL like all professional sports is a form of entertainment and a business. It is the job of the coach to pump up his team and Rex Ryan is much more in your face than most coaches but he is just doing his job. We are all fans and have our favorite teams and teams we don’t like but to curse at a man the way that fan did is just classless and stupid. I have met players from teams that beat my team and I told them “I don’t root for you but that doesn’t mean that I don’t respect you or your abilities”. If that guy had used the f word with me I would have done more than flipping him the finger.

  29. Gone is the day when a coach could tell a couple of his players to kick the guys ass. Too bad.
    Also, too bad nobody thinks fans should have class and enough respect for others, let alone themselves.

  30. effeminate: womanly
    effeminization: becoming womanly
    afeminization: becoming more manly.
    you know, like a-theist, a-sexual, a-edjumacated

  33. Think about it. When was the last time you gave someone the finger? For me, I think it was fourth grade.
    Anyone can lose their temper. Certainly, players and coaches deal with some idiots, but, you have to grow up.
    Imagine if Clinton, Bush, or Obama, with all the crap they took/take, flipped someone the bird? This guy represents the Jets organization. Good to see the No Fun League get a character but the weight, the stuff theat comes out of his mouth, they crying, and now “the finger” reflect a lack of discipline and make the NFL look like professional wrestling. Given some of the calls and non-calls we see NFL referees make one has to wonder if the league isn’t going in that direction.

  34. 2 quick comments.
    1- Rex is a millionaire world class coach associating and antagonising MMA fans that are one level above WWE fans in their environment and probably lickered up. What was he expecting? Also a NY team too boot!
    2- Based on past events, he snaps and punches the fan. Cha-Ching$$$? Maybe the fan was not as dumb as he appeared?
    Song phrase says it best:
    “Looking for Love in all the wrong places”

  35. Rex was given celebrity status by being offered the mic and allowed to address the crowd.
    His comments on MMA were on point and astute.
    His challenge to Miami fans in their back yard however, was provoking and out of line.
    Imagine if the Miami coach had said the same thing in Madison Square Garden?
    Might be a different article we are commenting on.

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