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Rex Ryan charged after Broadway crash

By Midstate Daily News Desk · Edited by Channing Webb · Nov. 12, 2026
Evening crowds and neon honky-tonk signs line Lower Broadway in downtown Nashville (file photo, June 2025)
File photo: Cpl. Vincent Needham, U.S. Marine Corps, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (source)
TLDRFormer NFL coach and ESPN analyst Rex Ryan, 63, turned himself in to Metro Nashville police Wednesday morning. Police say his pickup turned right from Fourth Avenue onto Broadway late Nov. 5 and ran over the feet of two people crossing with a walk signal, then drove off after an argument. Both had minor injuries. He faces six misdemeanor counts, and bond was set at $6,000. His attorney says Ryan is cooperating.

Former NFL head coach Rex Ryan is facing six misdemeanor charges in Nashville after police say his pickup truck hit two pedestrians at one of the busiest corners on Lower Broadway.

Ryan, 63, surrendered for booking Wednesday morning, Nov. 11, on outstanding warrants, the Metro Nashville Police Department said in a news release. A judicial commissioner set his bond at $6,000. The charges have not been proven in court.

What police say happened

The crash happened shortly before midnight Thursday, Nov. 5, at Fourth Avenue and Broadway, according to MNPD.

Police said the two pedestrians were crossing Broadway from Fourth Avenue with a walk sign when a pickup truck turned right from Fourth Avenue. The truck ran over both people's feet and made contact with one person's legs, police said. Both had minor injuries.

The pedestrians told officers the truck kept going but stopped at the red light at Broadway and Rep. John Lewis Way. They said they waved down the driver, who got out, argued with them, then got back in the truck and drove away.

The two took photos of the driver and the truck's license plate, which police said was registered to Ryan. According to arrest affidavits reported by WSMV, one of the pedestrians searched for a photo of the driver on a phone and identified him, and officers said the registered owner's driver's license photo matched. Officers also obtained surveillance video of the crash, the affidavits say.

"Officers observed black markings on the shoes of the victim and scratches on the female victim with black markings around them," the affidavit said, according to WSMV.

The charges

Ryan is charged with two counts each of leaving the scene of an accident, failure to give information or render aid, and failure to obey a traffic control signal, MNPD said.

His attorney, David Raybin, told WSMV that Ryan turned himself in after he became aware of the allegations and was released immediately. Raybin said they are reviewing the case and the facts and cooperating with the investigation.

Pedestrian safety downtown

Metro Council member Jacob Kupin told WSMV the incident is another example of the need to improve walkability downtown. Lower Broadway draws heavy foot traffic late into the night, especially on weekends, and turning drivers must yield to people in the crosswalk on a walk signal.

For more, see recent Nashville crime and court news, Nashville traffic news and all Davidson County news.

Sources