When Rex Ryan was introduced as the Buffalo Bills’ head coach in January, he expressed a desire to “build a bully” out of the AFC East squad.
Apparently he’ll draw from firsthand experience.
Ryan and his family were the subjects of an endlessly entertaining story published in the Buffalo News, which draws on anecdotes from Rex, his brother Rob and his mother Doris to describe his rough-and-tumble upbringing.
Rex and Rob claim they have an “airtight” bond, but that once took a turn for the worse during their college days at Southwestern Oklahoma State. Just days before Super Bowl XX — in which their father, Buddy, would lead the Chicago Bears to a blowout win over the New England Patriots — things got heated after Rex declined to be Rob’s wingman.
From the Buffalo News:
Rob: I was a solo rider and had a babe on line. But she had a friend. I said, “You know, come on. Be a team player.”
Rex: I said, “Dude, I’m staying at home today.”
Rob: So after a few hundred beers I said, “You need to help out.” (Rex) didn’t, so I was pissed and got in a wrestling match with him. I think he was a lot more sober than I was.
Rex: I was bigger and was just going to throw his ass down. But he reversed me and got on top. So we went at it. We ended up outside, and here he comes.
Rob: I ran after him, and he had a right hand waiting for me. I never saw it coming. Still haven’t seen it.
Rex: I got him good, and it was over. I felt terrible. I couldn’t believe I hit my brother like that.
Rex ended up breaking Rob’s nose and took off in a car after the incident.
“I get pulled over by a cop. He sees me and doesn’t know what he’s got,” Ryan said. “I said, ‘I just got in a fight with my brother. You can take me back there, and he’ll explain it.’
“They take me to jail and then called my brother. He said, ‘Nah, leave him in there.'”
You can criticize the Ryan brothers all you want, but don’t accuse them of being boring.
Thumbnail photo via Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports Images
