49ers analyst banned 1 game for racial remark
Expect to see a lot of Carter leading the way as Bulls enter a challenging stretch in December
The 49ers suspended radio analyst Tim Ryan for one game for comments he made about Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on a radio show Monday in San Francisco.
Speaking on KNBR, Ryan said Jackson ‘‘was really good at that fake . . . . But when you consider his dark skin color 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.’’
The Ravens defeated the 49ers 20-17 on Sunday in Baltimore, with Jackson rushing for 101 yards.
Both Ryan and the 49ers issued statements of apology for the comments to the San Francisco Chronicle.
‘‘I regret my choice of words in trying to describe the conditions of the game,’’ Ryan 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.’’
‘‘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.’’
Meanwhile, 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said Thursday that he doesn’t think Ryan was making a racist comment.
‘‘I listened to the dialogue and saw it written, and I wasn’t as outraged as everybody else,’’ Sherman said. ‘‘I understand how it can be taken under a certain context and be offensive to some, but if you’re saying, ‘This is a brown ball, they’re wearing dark colors and he has a brown arm,’ honestly, sometimes we were having trouble seeing it on film . . . .
‘‘You’re like, ‘Does he have the ball?’ And you look up, and [Mark] Ingram is running it. So it was technically a valid point, but you can always phrase things better.’’
Defensive end Dee Ford also stuck up for Ryan.
‘‘I told him, ‘I got your back,’ ’’ Ford said. ‘‘The words kind of got taken out of context. I think he knows now he could have used better judgment with his words, but we’ve got his back. I knew what he was trying to say. This era we live in, it’s just what it is.’’
It isn’t often that a 20-year-old has a great feel for leadership. But Bulls big man Wendell Carter Jr. isn’t like most 20-year-olds.
Yes, the Bulls’ current two-game winning streak has involved a lot of highlights from guard Zach LaVine late in the games, but look deeper over the last few weeks — at least when there has been success.
Since Nov. 20, the Bulls have four wins. In all four, Carter had a double-double, averaging 13.8 points and 12.3 rebounds and shooting 55 percent from the field.
His actions are backing up his words. “If I’m wrong, I’m going to acknowledge that I’m wrong, but if you’re wrong, I’m going to acknowledge that, too,” Carter said last week. “If you mess up, I’m going to point you out on it . . . . And I expect the same from my teammates when it comes to me. Tell me when I’m wrong, tell me how to fix it, and we’ll keep it moving.’’
The Bulls might really need Carter to keep it moving.
Although forwards Otto Porter Jr. and Thaddeus Young were voted captains late in the preseason — and by all accounts have been great leaders — it’s Carter in his second year who might be the strongest voice among the starters. Young has been inconsistent in his bench role — mostly in finding the minutes to get into a rhythm. Meanwhile, the bone bruise in Porter’s left foot remains an issue. Additional testing was done this week, and there’s still no clear timetable for his return, although surgery isn’t in the forecast.
The “calm” of Porter’s leadership style, as coach Jim Boylen described it, has to come from somewhere until Porter is back. Carter might be the perfect candidate.
“It is frustrating,” Boylen said of Porter’s injury. “I try not to look at those things like it’s my frustration. I feel bad for the guy. Obviously, the team needs him. But I feel bad for him. I think he’s frustrated. It wears on him. He’s a competitive guy. He’s a winning player. So it’s very difficult for him.’’
Things may soon start getting more difficult for the Bulls as a whole. Their win over the Kings on Monday was solid — maybe their best of the season, considering how well the Kings were playing leading into it. And their victory over the Grizzlies on Wednesday was simply a case of the home team taking care of a bad visiting team. It’s about time the 8-14 Bulls did that, especially if they still believe the can make the playoffs.
Friday night’s game against the Warriors at the United Center should be another layup for a third straight win. But then the rest of December starts getting real.
A matchup against the Heat on Sunday in Miami, followed by a home game against the Raptors the next night, should indicate whether the Bulls are ready to turn a corner. After that, they host the Hawks, Hornets and Clippers, followed by a four-game trip to face the Thunder, Wizards, Pistons and Magic. They end the month hosting the red-hot Bucks, and by then will be 34 games into the season.
If the front office finds the deficit in the
Eastern Conference bigger than anticipated, could the Bulls become sellers? That’s not a far-fetched scenario. There have been more misses than hits so far in their rebuild.
But as the Bulls, and their locker room, are finding out, Carter isn’t one of the misses.