Before the San Francisco 49ers take the field against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, the team has decided to suspend radio color analyst Tim Ryan. He made comments about Lamar Jackson during last weekend’s broadcast that raised a few concerns.
During the broadcast, Ryan said that Jackson is great at faking handoffs because of his “dark skin with a dark football.”
San Francisco wasted little time suspending Ryan indefinitely for that particular comment.
The San Francisco Chronicle was first to report the news of Ryan’s suspension. There is no timeline attached to his suspension as of right now.
#BREAKING | #49ers suspend broadcaster for saying Ravens QB Lamar Jackson had advantage due to "dark skin with a dark football."
via @mgafni & @LaurenPorFavor: https://t.co/7jNU673PPP
— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) December 4, 2019
Ryan has apologized for his remarks, saying “I regret my choice of words in trying to describe the conditions of the game. I want to sincerely apologize to him and anyone else I offended.”
Jackson is having an MVP season with the Baltimore Ravens, throwing for 2,523 yards, 25 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He’s also closing in on 1,000 yards rushing in just his second year in the NFL.
Judging off how Jackson handles criticism from the national media, it’s safe to say that he won’t let this affect his production moving forward.
As for the 49ers, the NFC powerhouse is hoping to bounce back from their recent loss to the Ravens.