Former NFL coach Rex Ryan turns himself in after allegedly hitting
Nashville pedestrians
[November 12, 2026]
By KRISTIN M. HALL and HANNAH FINGERHUT
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.
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Rex Ryan, football analyst and former NFL coach, participates in the
"Sunday NFL Countdown" panel during the ESPN Television Critics
Association Summer Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton on Wednesday,
July 26, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP,
File)
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.
___
Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press writers
Dennis Waszak Jr. in Florham Park, New Jersey, and Joe Reedy in
Cleveland contributed.
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