Rex Ryan made headlines on Friday for some extremely critical remarks he made about Amari Cooper, and the former NFL coach predictably expressed regret over his comments later in the day.
On ESPN’s “Get Up!” Friday morning, Ryan enthusiastically called Cooper a “turd” and unloaded on the Dallas Cowboys receiver for having a tendency to disappear in big games. Rex also ripped the Cowboys for giving Cooper a five-year, $100 million contract. A short time after, Ryan went back on the air with ESPN to apologize for calling Cooper a “turd” but stood behind his assessment of Cooper as a player.
Rex Ryan joined @SportsCenter to clarify his earlier comments: pic.twitter.com/awB44JnETd
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 3, 2020
“First off, I can’t believe I used that word,” Ryan said. “Obviously, it was a poor choice by me to say what I said about Amari. Quite honestly, I think the world of every player and have a great deal of respect for every player in the NFL, including Amari Cooper.”
ESPN hired Ryan because he has a fiery personality and has never been afraid to speak his mind. Creating a stir is part of his job description, and he was obviously just trying to deliver a hot take when discussing Cooper’s new contract. He accomplished that but went too far.
While Cooper did not play well in a number of big games last season, he was injured throughout much of the year. He caught 79 passes for 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns in his first full season with the Cowboys last year, so the numbers are certainly nothing to scoff at. There was talk that the Oakland Raiders were unhappy with Cooper’s level of effort before they traded him to Dallas in 2018, but the Cowboys obviously feel Cooper is an extremely valuable member of their team.
