National Football League

Rex fined $75K for cursing at fan

Published Nov. 21, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

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Rex Ryan's mouth really cost him this time.

The brash New York Jets coach was fined $75,000 by the NFL for using profanity while angrily responding to a fan at halftime of New York's 37-16 loss to New England last Sunday.

A 49-second video shot by a fan at MetLife Stadium shows the Jets walking off the field and when Ryan appears, someone is heard yelling, ''Hey, Rex, Belichick is better than you,'' referring to Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Ryan looks up and tells the fan to ''shut up'' while also using an obscenity.

Ryan apologized a day later for what he called ''a mistake,'' saying he ''was full of emotion and just popped off.'' Moments earlier, the Jets had just allowed the Patriots to take a 13-9 lead into halftime. He added that he's aware that he represents the franchise and the league, but isn't ''perfect by any stretch.''

''Sometimes,'' he said, ''my emotions get the best of me.''

It's not the first time Ryan is in trouble because of his mouth, which likely contributed to the hefty punishment. He was fined $50,000 by the Jets in February 2010 after he was caught on a cellphone camera giving the middle finger to a fan during a mixed martial arts event in Florida.

The Jets will not further discipline Ryan for the latest incident, saying it was a game-related matter.

General manager Mike Tannenbaum said in a statement last week that he and Ryan discussed what happened and the coach ''knows that his behavior was not acceptable.''

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