San Francisco 49ers suspend radio host Tim Ryan for saying Ravens star Lamar Jackson had an advantage due to his ‘dark skin with a dark football’
- Tim Ryan was discussing Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson’s performance
- He said handoffs were helped by ‘dark skin with dark football with dark uniform’
- Former defensive lineman was speaking on the ‘Murph and Mac’ show on KNBR
- San Francisco 49ers suspended Ryan and said they are ‘disappointed’ in remarks
The San Francisco 49ers have suspended a radio host for saying Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson is helped by his ‘dark skin’.
Former defensive lineman Tim Ryan made the comments when discussing Jackson’s outstanding performance in leading the Ravens to victory over the 49ers on Sunday.
During his weekly segment on KNBR’s ‘Murph and Mac’ morning radio show on Monday, Ryan was discussing the quarterback’s use of faking handoffs and suggested his skin color helped disguise the move.
The host said he believed the NFL’s Most Valuable Player frontrunner was so good at the fake handoff because of his ‘dark skin with a dark football with a dark uniform’.
He attributed Jackson’s success to opposition players not being able to see ‘when he was in and out of the mesh point’, according to The San Francisco Chronicle.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens after defeating the San Francisco 49ers at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday
Broadcaster Tim Ryan (far right) with San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan (far left) watching as players practice with general manager John Lynch (center) at the team’s NFL football training camp in Santa Clara in July
Ryan said on air: ‘He’s really good at that fake, Lamar Jackson, but when you consider his dark skin with a dark football with a dark uniform, you could not see that thing.
‘I mean you literally could not see when he was in and out of the mesh point, and if you’re a half step slow on him in terms of your vision, forget about it, he’s out of the gate.’
This season Jackson rushed 101 yards and a touchdown, leading his team to a 20-17 win over the 49ers in a game between two of the league’s top teams.
His performance surpassed Michael Vick and Russell Wilson for the most games, who were both on four, with at least 100 rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season.
San Francisco 49ers suspended Ryan for their next game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday and in a statement said they are ‘disappointed’ in his comments, adding he had ‘expressed remorse’ and was ‘a man of high integrity’.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson throws against the San Francisco 49ers in the first half of the NFL game on Sunday
The 49ers added that they had also contacted Ravens officials to ‘extend our apologies and assure them the matter is not being taken lightly’.
Ryan said in a statement: ‘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.’
During Monday’s discussion, Ryan spent most of the 22-minute show breaking down Sunday’s game and complimenting both the Ravens and Jackson’s quarterback play.
He is a former linebacker who played for the Chicago Bears from 1990 to 1993, before working as a Fox TV analyst covering NFL games for 12 seasons until he joined the 49ers in 2014.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson running with the ball in the second half of the game against San Francisco 49ers. Jackson rushed 101 yards and a touchdown, leading his team to a 20-17 win over the 49ers