49ers suspend analyst for 'dark skin' remark about Ravens QB Lamar Jackson

Dec. 5 (UPI) -- The San Francisco 49ers have suspended radio analyst Tim Ryan for comments he made about Lamar Jackson's skin color following the team's loss this week to the Baltimore Ravens.

During an appearance Monday on KNBR radio, Ryan said the Ravens quarterback's skin color helped disguise the football and made him more difficult for the 49ers to defend during their 20-17 setback Sunday in Baltimore.

"He's really good at that fake [handoff], Lamar Jackson, but when you consider his dark skin color, with a dark football, in a dark uniform, you could not see [the football]," Ryan said. "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."

Jackson had 101 rushing yards and a score and threw a touchdown pass in the 49ers win. He is the front-runner for the NFL MVP award.

The 49ers said in a statement Wednesday Ryan is suspended for the team's game at New Orleans at 1 p.m. EST Sunday. The team also said it reached out to the Ravens to apologize.

"We hold Tim to a high standard as a representative of our organization and he must be more thoughtful with his words," the 49ers 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."

Ryan also apologized.

"I regret my choice of words in trying to describe the conditions of the game," he said. "Lamar Jackson is an MVP-caliber player and I respect him greatly. I want to sincerely apologize to him and anyone else I offended."

A former player, Ryan, 52, was a third round pick by the Chicago Bears in the 1990 NFL Draft. He appeared in 58 games from 1990 through 1993 and previously worked as a broadcaster for Fox.

Jackson has completed 66.5 percent of his passes for 2,532 yards, 25 scores and five interceptions in 12 games this season. He's also logged 977 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns for the 10-2 Ravens, who are on an eight game winning streak entering their game against the Buffalo Bills at 1 p.m. EST Sunday at New Era Field in Orchard Park, N.Y.