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A police investigation in Nashville has left Rex Ryan, a former NFL head coach, facing six misdemeanor charges.
The ESPN analyst surrendered at the city's Downtown Detention Center on Wednesday morning after police linked him to an incident involving two pedestrians last Thursday night. He was later released after qualifying for pretrial release on non-financial conditions. His bond was set at $6,000.
Ryan, 63, is accused of leaving the scene after his pickup truck allegedly struck two people crossing a downtown street. The pedestrians were walking across Broadway with a signal in their favour when a vehicle turning right from Fourth Avenue reportedly drove over their feet. One person was also hit in the leg, although both suffered minor injuries.
According to the pedestrians' account to police, the driver continued along Broadway and stopped at a red light. They approached him there, but an argument allegedly followed. The driver then got back into the truck and left.
The two people photographed both the driver and the vehicle's registration plate. Police subsequently traced the pickup to Ryan.
The charges comprise two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, two counts of failing to provide information or render aid, and two counts of failing to obey a traffic control signal. Ryan is due in court next month. Available court records do not identify a lawyer representing him.
His employer, ESPN, has acknowledged the investigation but has not announced any change to his broadcasting duties. "We are aware and are in touch with Rex," the network said in a statement.
Before becoming a television analyst, Ryan spent several years as a head coach in the NFL. He led the New York Jets from 2009 to 2014, taking the team to consecutive AFC Championship Games in his first two seasons. He subsequently coached the Buffalo Bills between 2015 and 2016, leaving the role with one game remaining in the latter season.
He has not returned to a coaching position since, although he interviewed for the Jets' head coaching vacancy in 2025 before Aaron Glenn was appointed.
