I’ll be honest, I had no clue New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan had LapBand surgery. I guess I feel bad for saying he should be on a special season of ‘The Biggest Loser: NFL Edition’ (kinda, but not really). Steve Serby of NYPost.com had an interview with Ryan, and asked about his LapBand surgery and instead of sidestepping the topic, Ryan addresses it head on:
Q: How has your lap band surgery changed your life?
A: I can’t stuff a whole pizza down anymore (chuckle), so that’s been a problem. But no, it’s been good. It makes me slow down my eating, all that kinda stuff, so that’s been good.
Q: Was the operation nerve-wracking?
A: Well, I think anytime you go in for an operation, they put you under … it was like gameday for me, like I was comin’ out. I was gonna fight it all the way.
Q: You were scared?
A: I was scared, sure.
Q: Why?
A: Because anytime, there’s a chance you won’t wake up. That wasn’t gonna happen to me. I just approached it like, ‘OK, I’m comin’ through this thing.’ Any time you go under, there’s a chance you’re not comin’ back. It’s scary.
Q: Luckily for you, you can still eat Mexican food.
A: I can’t have a cheeseburger now ‘cause I can’t eat the bread, it’ll blow the thing up. … You’re still tryin’ to eat right and things, it’s not like it’s a magical thing. But it just makes you aware that you’re eating too fast, you’re eating too much, and things like that. I would recommend it for anybody that’s morbidly obese or whatever like I was.
Q: How much less do you weigh now than you did a year ago?
A: Oh gosh, I don’t know exactly, but at the end of last year I weighed 348 pounds, and I was 288 (currently).
Can’t you see the man is trying? When he gave his infamous ‘snack speech’ on HBO’s Hard Knocks, he was talking about a small, healthy snack. All those snacks during training camp…..good, wholesome organic snacks. That’s right get your dirty mind out the McDonald’s gutter.
In all seriousness, obesity is serious problem in America, and it seems football coaches are no immune. More than other sports, morbidly obese men parade the sidelines, instructing healthy, fit men how to be better. The irony is so blatant, its disheartening. Its one of many pink elephants in the room of football that no one touches.
I wish Ryan the best of luck getting to a healthy weight and staying there. Hopefully he’ll reach out the community and show kids that being healthy isn’t a quick fix, but a lifestyle.