The 49ers suspended an analyst after he said Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson's 'dark skin color' made him good at fakes
- The San Francisco 49ers suspended radio analyst Tim Ryan over a comment he made about Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
- While discussing Jackson's talent at faking handoffs, Ryan suggested he was good at fakes because of his "dark skin color with a dark football."
- The 49ers said they were "disappointed" in Ryan and suspended him from broadcasting Sunday's game.
- Ryan has since apologized.
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The San Francisco 49ers suspended radio analyst Tim Ryan after he suggested that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was good at fakes because of his "dark skin color with a dark football."
Ryan made the comment during an interview with the radio station KNBR on Monday. At the time, he was discussing Jackson's talent at faking handoffs during the 49ers' 20-17 loss to the Ravens.
"He's really good at that fake, Lamar Jackson, but when you consider his dark skin color with a dark football with a dark uniform, you could not see that thing," Ryan said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. "I mean you literally could not see when he was in and out of the mesh point."
The 49ers suspended him from broadcasting Sunday's game for the comment. In a statement to CBS News, the 49ers said they were "disappointed" in Ryan.
"We hold Tim to a high standard as a representative of our organization and he must be more thoughtful with his words," the team said. "Tim has expressed remorse in a public statement and has also done so with us privately. We know Tim as a man of high integrity and are confident he will grow and learn from this experience."
The team said they called the Ravens to "extend our apologies and assure them the matter is not being taken lightly."
Ryan, a former defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears, issued an apology on Wednesday.
"I regret my choice of words in trying to describe the conditions of the game. Lamar Jackson is an MVP-caliber player and I respect him greatly. I want to sincerely apologize to him and anyone else I offended," he said.
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