Former New York Jets and Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan is known for having a gruff personality, but he showed some emotion on Sunday morning. The ESPN analyst broke down in tears while discussing Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn and work that he did down in Tanzania. Lynn spent eight days of his offseason in the rural Maasai region of Tanzania, building a school for approximately 300 children in Africa.
Following a brief clip about Lynn and his offseason work, Ryan was asked for his thoughts on the man that once served on his staff. Lynn was the assistant head coach in both New York and Buffalo while working under Ryan. In response to this question, the former head coach responded by saying “that’s who he [Lynn] is.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
As Ryan said while fighting back tears, Lynn is a difference-maker. He is so proud of the man that he previously spent eight years with, and he believes that the Chargers coach will win a Super Bowl.
Awesome stuff: Rex Ryan became emotional while discussing the success of friend and former assistant coach, Anthony Lynn, who is now the #Chargers‘ head coach. pic.twitter.com/eOdWnZttEK
— Andersen Pickard (@andersenreports) December 1, 2019
Ryan was not the only one affected by the clip of Lynn and his trip to Tanzania. Fellow ESPN analyst Theo Riddick also explained that the Chargers coach is a pillar of the community. He also said that this story is about so much more than football; it’s about humanity.
According to Lynn, the purpose of building the school was not to erase the culture in Tanzania. Instead, he wanted to help make their lives better. Much of the curriculum will relate to agriculture, nutrition, and food security.
“We are not here to change their culture or anything like that,” Lynn said, per Sports Illustrated. “These are strong people, with a lot of qualities I wish I saw more of. They don’t take anything for granted, and they have to really work hard to get what they want out of life. If you add education to that, they have a chance to do something really special.”
With this new school that was provided by the Lynn Family Foundation and Privilege 2 Serve, the children living in what has been described as “impoverished conditions” will now have access to food, water, and education. As Ryan explained, this is just further evidence of the man that Lynn truly is.
Photo Credit: Anthony J. Causi/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty
