“If we had been six inches further out, I’d be in a hospital right now and so would my wife,” said Michael Holland, an attorney who was struck alongside his wife by a pickup truck driven by former NFL coach and ESPN analyst Rex Ryan in downtown Nashville.
The incident occurred shortly before midnight on November 5 near Fourth Avenue and Broadway, according to the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Ryan surrendered to authorities on November 11 on six outstanding misdemeanor warrants, as reported by The Tennessean.
Police said that Holland and his wife, Nadia Ramiz Adnan Rahman, were crossing Broadway with a walk signal when Ryan made a right turn from Fourth Avenue in his pickup truck. The vehicle ran over both pedestrians’ feet and struck one person’s leg, causing minor injuries, according to WSMV.
The pedestrians alleged that the driver did not stop at the scene. They caught up to the truck at a red light at Broadway and Representative John Lewis Way, where they confronted the driver, as detailed by The New York Times.
“They said he stepped out of the truck to argue with them, got back in, and drove away,” police stated in an official release cited by The Tennessean.
The victims photographed the driver and the truck’s license plate, which investigators used to trace the vehicle to Ryan, according to Democrat and Chronicle. Holland told the New York Post that the vehicle featured a New York plate with a “HIT QBS” vanity tag and a New York Jets license plate holder.
Ryan faces six misdemeanor counts, including two counts of leaving the scene of an accident, two counts of failing to provide information or render aid, and two counts of failure to obey a traffic control signal, according to Boston.
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A judicial commissioner set bond at $6,000, but Ryan qualified for pretrial release under nonfinancial conditions, as reported by Pro Football Network. Attorneys David and Ben Raybin represented Ryan upon his surrender at the Downtown Detention Center.
“Because we just received the warrant today, we currently have limited information regarding the allegations,” David Raybin said. “Coach Ryan immediately surrendered to authorities upon learning of the misdemeanor charges and was released without being required to post bond.”
Ryan, 63, has worked as an analyst for ESPN since 2017 and currently appears on Sunday NFL Countdown. “We are aware and are in touch with Rex,” ESPN said in a statement published by The New York Times.
Before entering sports media, Ryan served as head coach of the New York Jets from 2009 to 2014, leading the franchise to consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances in his first two seasons, as noted by The Tennessean. He later coached the Buffalo Bills from 2015 until his dismissal before the end of the 2016 season, according to Democrat and Chronicle.
Ryan is scheduled to make his next appearance in Davidson County General Sessions Court on December 18, according to the Daily Mail.
Earlier coverage: Rex Ryan Surrenders to Nashville Police Following Hit-and-run Allegations
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