Rex Ryan: I Gave Ex-Jets Bust Vernon Gholston A Fair Shot
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) -- Rex Ryan called former Jets bust Vernon Gholston a "phony" in his recent book. After Monday night's preseason Giants-Bears game, it was Gholston's turn to bite back.
"Being a first-round pick, you would have hoped for more," Gholston said. "Rex made a comment to me when he first came in that he thought I wasn't liked by the guys on the team, then once he got there he saw that wasn't the case. Those perceptions kind of determine the outcome, and it's sad to say."
Ryan was left "confused" by the comments made by his former defensive, now with Chicago.
"I'm confused, because I think I'm fair," Ryan said on Tuesday. "I think I'm more than fair and I think I give plenty of opportunities. But if it wasn't viewed that way, then that's it. Again, I'm comfortable with being who I am."
Gholston told reporters he didn't think he necessarily got a fair shot and had "no stability" with the Jets in three seasons — which included no sacks — after being the No. 6 overall pick.
"I don't agree with him on that," Ryan said. "My job isn't to make one player better or to feature one player. When I came here, I thought my job was to build the best defense we could possibly build. When you look at it statistically, it's hard to argue that we weren't successful in building this defense for the betterment of the NY Jets, not just one player."
Gholston was cut by the Jets before the lockout, and said he thought Ryan had preconceived ideas of what kind of player he was before he became coach — something Ryan didn't dispute.
"I heard how he was perceiving me before the draft, before he knew me, and I was the same way," said Gholston. "I wasn't hoping for him to be (my) first coach of the Jets when I was there, either."
"That could be accurate that I prejudged him," Ryan said. "But trust me, when I came here, I was his coach. He was one of us. I became a Jet. Obviously, I evaluated Vernon when he came out of college. I wasn't as high on him as maybe others were. When I got here, we were all in. I wanted Vernon to be successful. And I still want him to be successful."
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