🔗 Share this article

New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn has stated that he recently spoke with defensive back Kris Boyd and feels certain the athlete will be OK after being shot in central New York in the early hours of Sunday.

Glenn shared that Boyd, currently in the hospital, was “upbeat” during their latest talk.

“That gives me comfort, is that he’s feeling positive,” Glenn said Wednesday. “His wife and his kid, they are doing well and he is expected to recover fully.”

Glenn was unsure when Boyd would leave the medical facility, where he has been listed as serious yet stable.

“Not certain at the moment,” Glenn remarked. “However, I can share, just talking to him, he seemed very positive. And again, that’s what gives me comfort, given his positive frame of mind and he expresses himself so positively.”

NYPD released security footage earlier this week of an individual wanted in the incident involving Boyd. A motive for the shooting is still being looked into and authorities said it’s not clear if Boyd was the intended victim. There were no additional victims were reported.

The shooting happened around 2 a.m. on Sunday in the area between Madison Square Garden and the bustling tourist spot. Boyd, twenty-nine, was transported to a local hospital after sustaining an abdominal gunshot wound, according to authorities. The assailant escaped.

Glenn said Boyd has occupied his thinking “constantly” since he heard about the shooting. The coach said that Boyd and his spouse recently welcomed a child.

“The first thing I thought about, he recently became a father,” Glenn said. “My mind went to his family, worrying about his newborn and I want to make sure that he’s OK. And that’s the only thing that really went through my mind.

“There is a procedure involved, I’ll keep private, but It is reassuring that he’s going to come out of this thing really, really well.”

Boyd hasn’t played this season, after joining the team, after going on the season-ending injured reserve list on mid-August with a shoulder issue that required surgery.

He joined the Jets as an unrestricted free agent in March and was expected to be an important component of the team’s updated special teams under Glenn and special teams coordinator Chris Banjo. But Boyd was injured during preseason drills on August 2 and was taken away on a cart.

Boyd continued to be present all season long while working his way back.

“He’s been a part of what we’re doing,” Glenn commented. “In fact, he is a regular at our matches. He’s fully engaged. As one of the league’s best on special teams, he’s done a really good job of helping the other guys we have.”

Boyd, hailing from the Lone Star State, spent his initial four years with the Vikings after being a seventh-round pick by Minnesota out of Texas University in 2019. He later played for the Arizona Cardinals in 2023 and moved to Houston’s squad later that season. Boyd agreed to a one-year deal worth $1.6m with New York in the spring.