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New York Jets coach Rex Ryan's now infamous middle finger apparently was the reaction after much heckling from fans.

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan's now infamous middle finger apparently was the reaction after much heckling from fans.

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan was spit on night he flipped finger

FORT LAUDERDALE - Rex Ryan won't kiss anyone's rings and he apparently won't allow anyone to spit at him, either. According to Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer, Ryan flipped the now infamous middle finger at a Miami fan on Saturday night only after he was spit at and repeatedly bombarded with curse words at an MMA event in Sunrise, Fla.

Ohm Youngmisuk | New York Daily News | Published: 02/05/2010 17:46

"(Ryan) showed the greatest restraint," Glazer said yesterday on WFAN's "Boomer & Carton Show." "This wasn't (just being) heckled. This was a guy who was going out of his way to incite a fight, to incite some sort of violence to get the head coach of the Jets to ruin his job and to really put Rex in a place he didn't need to be."

Ryan reacted and it cost him. After apologizing for his ill-advised bird, Ryan was fined $50,000 by the embarrassed Jets. The NFL opted not to levy any additional punishment despite fining Titans owner Bud Adams for flipping two fingers at Bills fans during a home game last season.

Glazer - who attended the event with the Jets' coach, 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis and Eagles defensive end Trent Cole - said Ryan deserved to be rewarded after showing incredible restraint for not going after the heckler.

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