Initially, there wasn’t anything funny about Rex Ryan discussing Kadarius Toney being called offsides on what would have been a go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
That was until Ryan Clark pointed out the irony of Ryan being upset about someone’s foot.
“Hey guys,” Clark said, stifling laughter, on Monday’s episode of ESPN’s Get Up. “The fact that Rex said this a toe he doesn’t like…”
Between Clark’s laughter and him and Ryan briefly talking over each other, host Mike Greenberg couldn’t make out what was said. After Greeny asked for clarification, Ryan took it from there.
“I just said this a toe I don’t like,” said Ryan, who was famously accused of filming foot fetish videos with his wife when he was the head coach of the New York Jets in 2010. “You know I like toes — I don’t like this toe. Like come on, line up on frickin’ sides for crying out loud.”
Greenberg, realizing the can of worms he just opened up, buried his face in his hands and Clark’s stifled laughter turned into a full on cackle. Greenberg did his best to keep the segment on track, but it was already off the rails.
“Hey Kadarius Toney, if you turn Rex against feet, you’re a bad man!” the former NFL safety said.
“We have lost the ability to have a serious conversation about the play of the year, so let’s spin it back to that,” Greenberg said, finally moving on.
This isn’t the first time that Ryan’s alleged preference for feet has become fodder on Get Up. In fact, it was almost exactly two years ago that Clark walked off the show’s set after the former Jets coach proclaimed himself a “toe expert” while discussing an Aaron Rodgers injury.
Even more than a decade later, it’s pretty remarkable to see Ryan fully embrace something that was once considered a source of shame for him. Say what you will about Ryan as an on-air personality or coach, but there’s not questioning his willingness to poke fun at himself.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.