Advertisement

Ninja Punter: Seahawks' Ryan to compete on TV show

By Alex Butler

SEATTLE, May 22 (UPI) -- It may not rival "Beast Mode," but Jon Ryan is hoping to put his "Ginga Ninja" nickname to the test, as the Seattle Seahawks punter will compete on American Ninja Warrior.

Ryan will be a contestant on the show, which premieres at 8 p.m. Monday, May 25 on KING TV.

Advertisement

The show is an "action-packed series (that) follows competitors as they tackle a series of challenging obstacle courses in both city-qualifying and city-finals rounds across the country," according to its official website. "Those that successfully complete the finals course in their designated region move on to the national finals round in Las Vegas, where they face a stunning four-stage course modeled after the famed Mount Midoriyama course in Japan."

Ryan will take on other athletes for the $500,000 grand prize, which he says will go to his charity, the Bob Ryan Scholarship Fund and Charity, which raises money for cancer research and college scholarships.

"People keep asking me if this is the same as football," Ryan said in a video for the show. "In football I get pretty nervous - I've played in two Super Bowls, so I get nervous. But in football, I know what I'm doing. Out here, I don't know what I'm doing."

Teammates Jermaine Kearse and Derrick Coleman watched Ryan compete in the contest, according to King5.com.

Latest Headlines