Rex Ryan Undergoes Surgery in Effort to Shed Pounds

Hey, Rex Ryan told us he was working on his abs this offseason.

Turns out, doctors were working on them, also.

Ryan, who in his first season as a NFL head coach guided the New York Jets to the AFC Championship Game and one victory shy of the Super Bowl, underwent weight-loss surgery Saturday at NYU Medical Center, the team confirmed over the weekend.

The out-patient lap-band procedure was Ryan's latest stab in his bout with obesity. He also underwent surgery to repair a hernia.

Team officials said Ryan, 47, was at his home in New Jersey and relaxing following the procedure, which wrapped an adjustable band around the upper part of his stomach, allowing less food to enter the stomach and decreasing appetite. That should be a good thing for Ryan, given the publicity his belly got this offseason.

In February, while attending a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., he was sought out by cheerleaders and asked to take off the Philadelphia Flyers jersey he was wearing in favor of a home team jersey.

When Ryan removed the jersey, the T-shirt he was wearing underneath rode up his torso and exposed his massive keg for all the world to see. Not good. The moment not only was recorded for the arena's JumboTron, but quickly went viral on YouTube.

"I'm working on those abs a little bit," Ryan said at the NFL Combine last month as he explained away his wardrobe malfunction. "I thought I had the fighting strap attached to the T-shirt. Apparently, I didn't. Big mistake. But I appreciate everybody having such a special interest in that."

After taking the Jets to their first AFC title game since the 1998 season, the team's fans will be taking a special interest in Ryan getting back on his feet. After all, the last high-profile NFL coach in such a high-profile battle with his weight had a much rougher time. Ryan's surgery, however, involved no cutting or stomach stapling, along the lines of the gastric bypass that nearly cost Charlie Weis his life eight years ago.

It was in 2002 that Weis, then the offensive coordinator of New England Patriots, chose to undergo a gastric bypass because he felt he was being passed over for potential head-coaching jobs due to his appearance. Weis had the surgery, but lapsed into a coma that lasted two weeks. His condition was such that he was given last rites.

Weis, then 46, sued the doctors alleging malpractice, but lost the case. Jurors sided with testimony that Weis ignored the advice of his physicians and chose to have the surgery sooner than they recommended.

In time, Weis dropped over 100 pounds and in 2005 was hired by his alma mater, Notre Dame, as head coach. He eventually gained the weight back -- and maybe more -- but that wasn't the reason he was fired in December. That had more to do with a 35-27 record in five seasons at South Bend than his gigantic waistline. Weis has since been hired as offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Ryan, who is married with two children, was asked by his weight problem during training camp last year.

"You're always concerned," he told reporters. "I want to see my kids grown, I want to see my grandkids. The thing that gets me is, my cholesterol is fine, my blood pressure is fine. I'm a genetic freak, I guess."

Recent studies by the Center of Disease Control and Prevention say nearly one-third of the United States population is obese, including 17 percent of children ages 2-17 years old.

Other celebrities who have reportedly undergone surgical weight-loss procedures in recent years include comedienne Roseanne Barr, American Idol judge Randy Jackson, lawyer and former co-host of "The View" Star Jones, international soccer star Diego Maradona, author Anne Rice, "Today Show" co-host Al Roker, Heart lead singer Ann Wilson and reality TV star Sharon Osbourne.