Rex Ryan, who was in charge of the New York Jets when they gave Mark Sanchez a $40.5m contract extension, has hailed Donald Trump as “one of the greatest businessmen we could ever remember” at a rally in Buffalo.
Ryan, now head coach of the Bills, introduced Trump at a rally on the eve of the New York primary, joining a long list of athletes who have endorsed the Republican presidential frontrunner.
“One of the things I admire about Mr Trump is that he says what’s on his mind,” Ryan said. “So many times you’ll see people want to say the same thing [as Trump]. But there’s a difference: they don’t have the courage to say it. They all think it but they don’t have the courage to say it. And Donald Trump certainly has the courage to say it. And that’s what I respect. And you know what? So do the people of New York.”
Ryan went on to congratulate Trump on his business acumen. “This man is one of the greatest businessmen that we could ever remember, there’s no question about that,” he said. “This is a great honor for me.”
Bills center Richie Incognito has also backed Trump. And while Tom Brady and Patriots owner Robert Kraft have stopped short of officially endorsing Trump, they have both spoken of their respect for him.
The rally did not go well for Trump, who appeared to confuse the 9/11 terrorist attacks with 7-Eleven, the well-known convenience store.
“I wrote this out, and it’s very close to my heart,” said Trump. “Because I was down there and I watched our police and our firemen down at 7/11, down at the World Trade Center right after it came down. And I saw the greatest people I’ve ever seen in action.”
Trump, who dabbled in football when he bought the New Jersey Generals of the now-defunct United States Football League in 1983, also misremembered the Jets’ NFL achievements.
“[Ryan] won the championships in New York, AFC, I think, twice,” Trump said. “He always had these teams that were brutal. They were just good. Great defense. And I’ve been watching, and I’ll tell you, you’re gonna have a very, very good season this year, you watch. It’s going to be good, and it’s because you have a good coach, you really do. And he’s also a terrific guy.”
The Jets did not go to two Super Bowls. Ryan did lead them to the AFC championship game in 2009 and 2010, but they were beaten by the Colts and the Steelers.
