The loud-mouthed by good natured head coach of the New York Jets is is now playing the victim card:
"I've been a big admirer of Tony Dungy, and I'm sure a lot of people are, but he unfairly judged me, and that was disappointing to me."
Um, no he didn't, Rex. Your own mouth and your own words paint the portrait of you, not the opinions of Tony Dungy. Dungy simply addressed an issue that was most certainly on the minds of viewers watching you drop F bombs left and right on HBO's Hard Knocks. The issue was should an authority figure like a NFL head coach be cursing like a one-eyed pirate on a show who sole purpose is to promote the NFL?
Clearly, in the league's mind, the answer is no. Otherwise, why would the Jets cut back on the swearing?
Yes, I realize swearing and dirty words are part of the NFL. I get that, and it totally doesn't bother me. In fact, I kind of enjoy watching Ryan let loose with the language. However, such reality is not what the NFL wants to promote. Remember, for a huge corporate entity like the National Football League, perception is everything.
In previous incarnations of Hard Knocks, a few coaches cursed but not to the same degree Ryan did in the show's initial episodes this season. This is because the previous coaches were aware that someone was taping them, and whatever you do in front of a camera is fair game to be criticized, picked about, and judged. That is one of the most basics tenants of TV. Anything goes.
If Rex Ryan didn't know that, then he's an idiot.
It's nice that Rex invited Dungy to a Jets practice in response to the criticism. In general, Rex is not the classless bully his father was when he coached the Philadelphia Eagles. Rex seems like a genuinely nice guy.
However, his total lack of self-awareness should give Jets management some pause. Remember, this is the same guy who cursed at and flipped off people at an MMA fight last year. He was fined $50K for the incident by the league. A head coach should be the undisputed general and leader of an NFL franchise. He absolutely must be above such embarrassing public displays and must always, always, ALWAYS be self-aware whenever he is speaking in front of a group of people.
Ryan should consider himself lucky he coaches for an east coast team. If he'd pulled this crap in Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, or Missouri, his job would be in jeopardy right now.
Oh, and in general, coaches shouldn't need to swear to get their point across. Coaching is all about communication, and if you need to swear to get your message across, then you are a poor communicator and (in all likelihood) you should not be coaching professional football.