Update: Rex Ryan has since apologized to Amari Cooper after calling him a “turd” on live television this morning.
“I can’t believe I said that, used that word,” he said on a follow-up on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “Obviously it was a poor choice by me to say what I said about Amari. Anybody who knows me, quite honestly, I think the world of every player and have a great deal of respect for every single player in the National Football League, including Amari Cooper.”
While Ryan apologized for his word usage, he didn’t back off of his original opinion on Cooper. “With that being said, I think the Cowboys overspent for Amari Cooper,” he said. “The reason for it is, I don’t doubt that this is an elite player. He has those traits. But an elite player to me shows up on the road, he shows up against great corners, and he shows up in crunch time, and those are three things that Amari Cooper has not done so far in his career. In fact, I think he’s won one playoff game as a player. And all of those things are how I feel about this young man as a receiver.
Former NFL head coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan didn’t mince words about Cowboys wide receiver, Amari Cooper this morning on the network’s GetUp! program.
"[Amari Cooper] is the biggest disappearing act in the National Football League. … I wouldn't have paid this turd."
—Rex Ryan pic.twitter.com/A8gzRJqBnD
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 3, 2020
This comes after Amari Cooper and the Dallas Cowboys agreed to a five year, $100 million contract. $60 million which is guaranteed.
Ryan went as far as to call Cooper the biggest disappearing act in the NFL and a turd.
Ryan also said that he feels the team should have made signing Dak Prescott the number one priority before worrying about making a deal wide receiver.
Ryan’s comments have set social media ablaze. With fellow reporters and athletes calling for Ryan to apologize for not so much his sediment but for his word usage. It remains to be seen what ESPN itself has to say about the whole fiasco.
Cooper’s signing is just the latest domino in a head-scratching offseason for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. First, after much speculation after the regular season ended about the imminent firing of head coach Jason Garrett, which finally came later than many expected. Garrett was replaced with former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. Garrett joined division rival the New York Giants coaching staff shortly thereafter.
The Dak Prescott saga has been plaguing the offseason in big D, ever since. With offers on the table but seemingly no end in sight for either side. And of course Cooper.
We will have to wait and see what the fallout will be for Rex Ryan.
