Reports said that Fitzpatrick had a private conversation with his coach Flores for a while before leaving the field. Fitzpatrick surprisingly didn’t show up on Saturday for the team practice.
It was announced later in the day by his coach Flores, that the reason for Ryan’s sudden absence was the tragic passing of his mother.
Flores was very supportive of his conditions and requested Ryan to take as much time as he needs. He also told the media and clarified that he wasn’t retiring as there were a lot of controversies the last time, he took some time off.
The quarterback took last Friday off saying he had some personal reasons but returned the very next day on the field and jokingly clarified that he wasn’t retiring, he didn’t have coronavirus and his wife was not pregnant, as these are the three most common speculations for absence at this time.
Apparently, Ryan’s mother passed away after being ill for quite some time, he found this out early Saturday, as Coach Brian Flores escorted him to the locker room. He was very sympathetic and told that he went through the same situation when his mother died in 2019.
Reports tell that it is still hard to confirm if Fitzpatrick will be ready for the September 13th season opener, but the coach says he has everything that has to be done in mind and also that Ryan should take enough time to get well.
Even though the team will have to alter the most important position in football, the team stands with Ryan in his difficult time. Flores confirmed that they have a contingency plan in place at every position. With Fitzpatrick absent, rookie, and third-year player Josh took all the snaps during the scrimmage Saturday.
