That Rex Ryan had a turbulent final season with the New York Jets is even more of an understatement, considering they wouldn't even let him talk about his father publicly.
During Ryan's lame-duck season as the Jets coach last season, the Buffalo News revealed an instance in which the Jets prevented Ryan from answering a question from the media about the health status of his father, Buddy:
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"Rex Ryan was a trampled man," the Buffalo News reported. "His New York Jets were 2-8 entering last November's game against the Buffalo Bills, the one that was moved to Detroit because Ralph Wilson Stadium was buried under a snowstorm.
"An avalanche already had fallen on Ryan. He knew the Jets would fire him at the end of the season. Their micromanaging front office had squeezed every ounce of enjoyment from him.
"General Manager John Idzik exuded such control over the coach that when a reporter asked Ryan about his ailing father, renowned defensive mastermind Buddy Ryan, a Jets spokesman inexplicably prevented Rex from answering.
"Rex Ryan adores his family and worships his father. Yet the Jets wouldn't even let Ryan speak fondly about a sick, old man."
Ryan quickly landed on his feet after being fired by the Jets. The Bills hired him just 12 days after his exit in New York. Perhaps out of distaste for the Jets out of gratefulness to Buffalo, he accepted the job, not knowing how much the organization was going to pay him, MMQB.SI.com reported.
MMQB.SI.com added that Ryan knew he was in trouble with the Jets as early as 2013, after general manager John Idzik came aboard. A new Jets senior vice president of marketing was making a presentation to the entire organization and explaining to those in attendance the difference between "brash" and "bold." Ryan said he felt singled out.
"They were trying to pull away from me," Ryan said. "Like it was my fault, somehow, that people identified the Jets with me, and that was a bad thing and not a good thing. I was just being who I was. From that point on I knew I wasn't going to be long for that job."
A Jets spokesman told SI: "It's surprising and disappointing that Rex feels that way. There was no effort by the organization to move away from him in any way."
Unless the Jets did consciously prevent Ryan from talking about his father. There's no way to explain that away.
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