The former Jets coach appeared on Sunday NFL Countdown four days after turning himself in to Nashville police over an alleged hit-and-run.
Rex Ryan showed up for work. ESPN put him on the air for Sunday NFL Countdown just four days after he was arrested in Nashville for allegedly running over the feet of two pedestrians with his pickup truck and driving off, an incident police say happened on Nov. 4.
ESPN had signaled the plan a day earlier, telling reporters in a Saturday night statement that "as of now, Rex will appear as scheduled, including on Sunday NFL Countdown." Multiple outlets reported that Ryan was not expected to address the arrest while on camera, and that is exactly how it played out. When his moment came, Ryan talked football, specifically the early injuries in the Lions-Patriots game being played in Germany, and said nothing about turning himself in to Nashville authorities earlier in the week.
Ryan has not commented publicly since his arrest on Wednesday. The former Jets head coach has built a second career as an ESPN analyst, and the network's decision to keep him on its flagship pregame show suggests it intends to let the legal process play out without pulling him from the air.