Rex Ryan again sticks up for his father

NEW ORLEANS – Rex Ryan is still fuming nearly a month after he defended his father to the Sun-Times.

Ryan, the New York Jets head coach, defended his father Buddy Ryan after the late Dave Duerson claimed the former Bears defensive coordinator and Philadelphia Eagles head coach called him a derogatory word for African Americans.

“I thought it was ridiculous. Absurd. There’s no way in hell that happened – no way in hell that happened,” Rex Ryan said, according to the New York Post.

“Look out our history as a family,” Ryan said, according to the Post. “My dad was one of the first guys with an African-American as a quarterback. My twin brother was, like, the first white coach at a historically black university, [spending] five years at Tennessee State. It’s crazy. My brother and I both worked for African-American coaches in college football. There isn’t a prejudiced bone in our body or my dad’s body. That’s why I know it’s crazy and ridiculous.”

Asked if it stains his father’s career, Rex Ryan said, “There’s no way in hell it’s a stain on his career.

“My dad is a great person. Maybe there’s a different agenda there. You can say a lot of things about my dad and me, but that’s the most ridiculous comment I’ve ever heard.”

In an interview for an oral project about Americans turning 50, Duerson told Rob Trucks that Ryan called him a derogatory word for African Americans in their first conversation at Halas Hall.

“He knew I’d gone to Notre Dame, and he asked me if I was one of those doctors or lawyers. I said, ‘Yes, sir,”’ Duerson told Trucks, according to the website deadspin.com. “He said, “Well, you won’t be here too long, because I don’t like smart [derogatory word for African Americans].”

After I read him that comment, Ryan immediately said, “That’s bull.

“I can’t believe he said that about me, because I was a great fan of his. He played great football. He was a great player. He started for us as a rookie. I don’t know why he would say that. That sounds terrible.”