Former NFL coach and ESPN analyst Rex Ryan surrendered to Nashville authorities November 11 on six misdemeanor charges stemming from an alleged collision with two pedestrians at Fourth Avenue and Broadway.
The pedestrians suffered minor injuries, according to a Metro Nashville Police Department release. The case concerns a specific incident on November 5; the charges are allegations, and Ryan has not been convicted in this case.
What police allege happened
Police say the pedestrians were crossing Broadway with a walk signal shortly before midnight when a pickup turning right from Fourth Avenue ran over their feet and contacted one person’s leg.
According to the department’s account, the pedestrians then waved down the driver at a red light at Broadway and Representative John Lewis Way. They told investigators the driver got out, argued with them and drove away. Police say the pedestrians photographed the driver and the truck’s license plate, which was registered to Ryan.
The six charges consist of two counts each of leaving the scene of an accident, failure to give information or render aid, and failure to obey a traffic-control signal. All six are misdemeanors.
Ryan’s response and the next step
Ryan’s attorney, David Raybin, told The Associated Press that Ryan surrendered after learning of the charges and had been cooperating with law enforcement. Raybin said the defense had only just received the warrant and had limited information about the allegations.
AP reported that Ryan qualified for release on nonfinancial conditions after a $6,000 bond was set, with a court appearance scheduled for December.
ABC News also reported the surrender and misdemeanor allegations November 11. A booking or a police account is not a court finding about what happened.
The local issue behind the familiar name
The location places the allegations at a downtown intersection familiar to people walking between Broadway venues. The specific questions in this case concern a turning vehicle, pedestrians using a crossing signal and what happened after contact, not simply the fact that a nationally known sports figure was involved.
The available accounts establish the charges and the defense’s initial response. They do not settle guilt or supply a final outcome. Those distinctions will remain important as the case moves through court.
Read more local reporting in our Nashville coverage.
Image credit: Marianne O’Leary, cropped by Ruhrfisch / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. October 23, 2011 file photograph; resized. Not the alleged Nashville incident.
