Just a month removed from the “hot sauce” comments that landed him in hot water with one of the league’s biggest stars, Jets head coach Rex Ryan is hoping for an apology for Reggie Bush’s insulting comments.
Ryan later explained his “hot sauce” comment prior to the season’s first Dolphins game did not mean they planned to hurt Bush, as he thought.
In a radio interview, Bush said “what goes around, comes around,” referring to Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis’s season-ending knee injury against Miami.
“I apologize for my comments,” Ryan said yesterday. “I expect him to do the same.
“I think [Bush] got caught up in the moment. Obviously nobody likes to get hurt and that certainly wasn’t my intention and I hope he understands that he doesn’t ever have to say anything or reach out to Revis,” Ryan said. “But I’d expect him to for the simple fact that’s his peer, one of the elite players in the league.”
With the questions swirling about what he meant and the “hot sauce” remarks still fresh, Ryan clarified again that he wasn’t trying to get Bush injured in the game, although the Dolphins running back did leave the Jets game in the second quarter with a knee injury and did not return. He played the next week and hasn’t missed a game this season.
“I never was saying we’re going to try and injure Reggie Bush, that’s not even close. He’s going to get our attention. I’m sorry, but he’s the type of player who’s going to warrant a lot of attention and we’re going to give it to him — there’s no question. That’s what I meant by my comments. If it was taken differently, out of context or whatever, I apologize for that. Trust me, we know when he’s in the game and he is still going to get our attention, but his things about Revis and all that kind of stuff – I understand he got hurt in the game and that’s bad for football, OK?” Ryan said on Wednesday. “We never want to hurt a player. … As bad as I want to beat Tom Brady, I don’t want to see Tom Brady out of this league, there’s no doubt. That’s bad for the league. I’m a football fan as well as a coach and all that but this game is great because of the players and the talent that plays in this league and that’s what I mean. If Reggie thinks about it, you want Darrelle Revis playing in this league. At least I want to.”
On Wednesday, Bush was asked about Ryan’s clarification that he did not mean he wanted to see Bush injured when he used the “hot sauce” remark.
“I don’t believe that. I don’t believe that at all, but it is what it is,” Bush said. “Like I said, the great thing about divisional opponents are that you get a chance to play them twice.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
