LOL! THE 50K BIRD! JETS COACH FINED $50,000 FOR FLIPPING THE BIRD TO DOLPHINS FANS!

FORT LAUDERDALE - It was an expensive bird.
Jets coach Rex Ryan, who flipped off rowdy Dolphins fans at a Mixed Martial Arts event Saturday night in nearby Sunrise, Fla., was fined $50,000 Tuesday by the team.

The NFL also is reviewing the matter under its personal conduct policy, but since Ryan already has been disciplined by the Jets, an additional fine by the league appears unlikely.

Neither the team nor Ryan commented on the fine, but the size of the fine shows that the organization was embarrassed and upset by Ryan's behavior. In a statement Sunday, GM Mike Tannenbaum scolded his coach, saying that he "showed extremely poor judgment and his conduct was inappropriate."

Ryan himself called it "stupid and inappropriate," apologizing to the Jets and NFL fans.

It happened at an MMA fight card that featured ex-NFL star Herschel Walker. According to eyewitnesses and accounts, Ryan was bombarded with insults and expletives by Miami fans. As he left the area, he gave the middle finger to a group of fans.

David Hildenbrand, 24, of Miami, used his cell phone camera to catch Ryan flipping the bird, and it was all over the Internet by Sunday.

Ryan, who was in town to watch the Pro Bowl, returned to New Jersey. But he's expected back in South Florida for the Super Bowl. This time, he will be accompanied by Tannenbaum.

Ryan became at least the second person in the NFL this season to be fined for an obscene gesture. Titans owner Bud Adams flipped over Bills fans at a home game - a double bird, actually - and was fined $250,000 by the league.