ESPN analyst Rex Ryan apologizes for calling Dallas Cowboys’ Amari Cooper ‘a turd’
A few hours after unprofessionally calling Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper “a turd” on the show Get Up! Friday morning and getting roundly criticized on social media, ESPN analyst Rex Ryan returned to the airwaves and apologized.
The term came in conjunction with critical comments of Cooper’s play and whether he deserved a five-year, $100 million contract extension he got from the Cowboys. But it was inappropriate and classless.
“I can’t believe I said that, used that word,” Ryan said in trying to clarify his comments later in the day on SportsCenter. “Obviously it was a poor choice by me to say what I said about Amari. Anybody who knows me — look, 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.
“With that being said, I think the Cowboys overspent for Amari Cooper. 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. But what I added at the end of that, I want to apologize to Amari again and hope he accepts my apology.”
That he had to reiterate the criticism makes the apology seem insecure and likely forced by ESPN. Ryan received immediate backlash for his comments.
Here is what he initially said.
“I wouldn’t have paid this guy,” Ryan said Friday morning on Get Up. “To me, this is the biggest disappearing act in the National Football League. He doesn’t show up on the road. He doesn’t show up against — when the competition’s good, when he’s against the top corners, that guy disappears. This is who he is. [H]e doesn’t love football. Hell with it, he stops his routes, he does all this. I wouldn’t have paid this turd. No way in hell. No way in hell would I have paid this guy.”
There is no question that Cooper struggled in road games in 2019. But he also played through foot, ankle and thigh injuries.
And since coming to the Cowboys in a trade with the Oakland Raiders midway through the 2018 season, Cooper ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in receptions (132), receiving yards (1,914), and receiving TD (14) among wide receivers.
In 2019, he led the Cowboys with 79 catches for 1,189 yards and eight touchdowns and was rewarded with his second trip to the Pro Bowl since coming to Dallas.
More importantly, he has been a welcomed addition to the Cowboys locker room and boon to quarterback Dak Prescott’s career. There have been no questions or concerns about his character or work ethic to warrant being labeled “a turd.”
Additionally, the five-year, $100 million contract extension can be reduced to a two-year, $40 million deal, if necessary.
Ryan has a 61-66 record as a head coach and has not coached since being fired by the Buffalo Bills in 2016.
This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 3:33 PM.
