National Football League

Glazer an eyewitness to Ryan-fan confrontation

Published Feb. 5, 2010 12:00 a.m. ET

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As regular visitors to FOXSports.com know, Jay Glazer is on top of all the NFL news. Last Saturday night in South Florida, Glazer was right in the middle of a breaking story — a confrontation between New York Jets coach Rex Ryan and a fan.

In an interview with the "Boomer & Carton Show" on New York radio station WFAN, Glazer said the fan confronted Ryan three times and spit on him before Ryan reacted, giving him the finger.

"I've gotta tell you guys," Glazer said, "I've never seen a fan go so far over the line."

The incident occurred at an MMA event in Sunrise, Fla., a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. The Jets fined Ryan $50,000; the NFL did not punish him.

"I think to fine the guy 50 grand is the most ridiculous thing," Glazer said. "If (Jets general manager) Mike Tannenbaum or (owner) Woody Johnson was there, they would have hit the guy.

"I think (Ryan) needs a reward for showing restraint. I'd give him 50 grand for not hitting the guy.

"We all showed great restraint. He (Ryan) showed the greatest restraint."

Glazer said the fan's actions went far beyond heckling. "This was a guy who was going out of his way to incite a fight, to incite some sort of violence to get the head coach of the Jets to ruin his job and to really put Rex in a place he didn't need to be."

Ryan was with Glazer and NFL players Patrick Willis and Trent Cole at the event. Glazer said one fan, upon recognizing Ryan, went ballistic.

"He said, 'Hey. I F-in hate you. I hate you. I hate you. You're an F-in piece of F.'

"I mean it was unbelievable, and he just kept going on and on. Then he said, 'I hate you. I hope you die, you fat piece of crap,' and then spit at him."

Glazer said he stepped between Ryan and the fan.

"I didn't want Rex to kill the guy."

After Ryan's party reached their front-row seats, Glazer said, the fan came over and started in with Ryan again. Glazer said he ushered the fan away, but security refused to remove him. Later, as Ryan's group was being escorted out, Ryan gave the fan the finger.

The New York Post reported that David M. Hildenbrand, a Dolphins fan who took the picture of Ryan giving the finger, said Ryan "was walking by us after the event, and a couple buddies of mine said some things like, ‘Dolphins rule, Jets suck.’"

"[Ryan] looked at us and said, ‘Go f- - - yourselves,’ and then he gave us the finger."

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