Having spent 17 seasons as a quarterback in the NFL, Ryan Fitzpatrick is no stranger to playing through pain.
And that’s a trend that’s apparently carried over into his broadcasting career, as the NFL on Prime analyst lost his voice during Amazon’s broadcast of the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.
“It’s been a bit of a struggle for him,” a noticeably gravelly Fitzpatrick said of Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith at halftime. “Just like my voice.”
The Harvard product did his best to power through the highlight before ultimately asking the rest of the TNF crew to take over for him.
“It’s been a bit of a struggle for him, just like my voice… Can you guys take this highlight for me, please?” – Ryan Fitzpatrick 🏈📺🎙️ #NFL #TNF pic.twitter.com/sfXAEWWJvE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 11, 2024
By the time the game — a 36-24 San Francisco victory — had ended, Fitzpatrick’s voice had yet to recover. That, however, didn’t prevent the 41-year-old from participating in the TNF postgame show, albeit doing so in unique fashion.
When it came to the crew’s postgame interview with 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle, Fitzpatrick asked questions by whispering them to Tony Gonzalez, who then relayed them to the 49ers duo.
“He’s whispering sweet nothings into his ear,” Kittle, who caught two touchdowns in the win, joked.
“We can get weird up here,” Sherman replied.
Apparently, Fitzpatrick’s voice was still so hoarse that Gonzalez couldn’t understand what he was saying, prompting the Hall of Fame tight end to use the time to ask a question of his own.
Fitzpatrick isn’t the first broadcaster to lose his voice and he won’t be the last. Fortunately for him, he had teammates to help carry the slack, allowing what might have otherwise seemed like a mishap to bring a sense of levity to the TNF broadcast.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.