Former New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan has one of the more unique personalities in NFL history. He's never been afraid to speak his mind, which helped him on the sidelines and has enabled him to thrive in his current role as an analyst with ESPN.
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Have you ever heard the "he wears his heart on his sleeve" phrase? Well, Ryan takes that expression one step further.
Ryan has a tattoo of his wife Michelle Ryan on his upper arm.
Who is Rex Ryan's Wife?
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Rex and Michelle Ryan met at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and got married in 1987.
The pair have two children together: sons Seth and Payton, the former of whom was a wide receiver at Clemson University.
Ryan's bizarre tattoo of his wife originally featured Michelle wearing a No. 6 Jets jersey. Why he chose to permanently tattoo his wife posing in a Mark Sanchez jersey onto his body is beyond me, but to each their own.
Rex Ryan having a tattoo of his wife in a Mark Sanchez jersey really explains a lot! @560WQAM #Jets pic.twitter.com/d0883iym
— Jorge Sedano (@Sedano) January 4, 2013
After Ryan was fired by the Jets and hired by the Buffalo Bills, he had the jersey color changed from green to blue.
Michelle and Rex's private life is not without some controversy, however.
In 2010, a Deadspin.com post featured a video of a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Michelle engaged in foot-related role playing.
The foot fetish video went viral, and Internet detectives believed the account from which it was posted, ihaveprettyfeet, was operated by Michelle. The cameraman in the video certainly sounded a good deal like Rex, too.
Rex Ryan has a framed picture of his wife's feet on his desk 😮😂 pic.twitter.com/FXy7U0S2LZ
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) September 10, 2015
The video was also believed to be shot outside of a high school in New Jersey, nearby where the couple lived at the time.
When the football coach was asked about the video, he declined to comment, stating it was a "personal matter," per the New York Daily News, and refusing to add further speculation to whether or not the video truly featured his wife's feet.
Rex Ryan's NFL Coaching Career
"He knew when to keep it light, and he knew when to get serious."
Rex Ryan was quite the character himself 😂 #NFL100
📺: NFL 100 GREATEST CHARACTERS on NFL Network pic.twitter.com/PK4nnQi96c
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) October 12, 2019
Rex Ryan started his NFL coaching career as a defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens in 2005. He spent four years in that role before he was hired to lead the New York Jets.
Ryan helped operate one of the league's best defenses in New York and led them to playoffs for the first time since 2006. He even guided the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship Games.
In 2009, the Jets defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card game and took down the Chargers in the Divisional Round before losing to the Colts in the conference championship.
In 2010, the Jets defeated the rival New England Patriots and Tom Brady in the Divisional Round, before getting sent home by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the conference championship.
Ryan was fired by the Jets and then coached the Buffalo Bills, but only spent two seasons with the franchise.
Rex isn't the only one in the Ryan clan with coaching experience. His father Buddy Ryan was a famous NFL coach with the Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles.
His twin brother Rob Ryan also made multiple coaching stops in the NFL, including with teams such as the Oakland Raiders, New Orleans Saints, and Baltimore Ravens, among others.
