Rex Ryan’s in-game curse at fan draws NFL’s interest

Yahoo! Sports

Mon Nov 14 04:01pm EST

Rex Ryan’s in-game curse at fan draws NFL’s interest

The Jets were down 13-9 at halftime of their loss to the Patriots, and Rex Ryan had just witnessed his quarterback calling a timeout that Ryan called "the stupidest thing in football history." As the Jets walked off the field for halftime on Sunday night, a Patriots fan caught Ryan's attention by yelling, "Hey Rex! Belichick is better than you."

What do you think the coach did then?

A. Ignore the fan.

B. Smile, and sweetly say, "You old devil! Why would you say such a silly thing?"

C. Go get a snack.

D. Tell the fan to "Go [expletive] yourself."

If you answered D, you either know Ryan really well or have already seen the video making the rounds on the Internet. He apologized when talking to reporters on Monday, saying that he was emotional and made a mistake.

"It was right after halftime, obviously made the mistake with the timeout, gave up the touchdown. I was just full of emotion and I just popped off. I know I represent the National Football League and I represent the Jets and I know it was a mistake. I apologize for it," Ryan said.

"I'm about as big of a competitor as there is. At that time I was in no mood to hear anything, but I also understand I have to handle that better. I make mistakes all the time, I'm not perfect by any stretch. I try to get better. Sometimes I let my emotions get the best of me."

Nonetheless, the NFL is reportedly looking into this video and Ryan's remarks.

Though Ryan using salty language is no surprise to anyone who watched him on HBO's "Hard Knocks," the NFL's investigation may end up costing Ryan a small fortune. He was fined $50,000 for flipping the middle finger to a fan at a Strikeforce MMA event. Sunday's incident was his second offense and he was representing the NFL at the time. Those factors could add up to one hefty fine.