Former Seahawks punter Jon Ryan reveals skin cancer diagnosis

Former Seattle Seahawks punter Jon Ryan announced he has been diagnosed with skin cancer.

Ryan shared the news on a recent episode of the “Growing the Game” podcast.

“My mother lathered me in sun screen growing up, and I’ve always been very diligent,” Ryan said via 620ckrm.com. “I’ve gone once a year to the dermatologist to get a full-body scan to get everything checked, and I have a mark on my neck they’re a little concerned about. Last year they froze it off, and it grew back even bigger, so they identified that it was skin cancer.”

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Ryan said his surgery has been pushed back due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and said he expects to make a full recovery.

“Luckily, it’s a pretty slow-moving cancer that the doctor’s very confident that he can wait until this coronavirus has swept through to be able to operate on,” Ryan said.

Ryan’s wife, standup comedian Sarah Colonna, took to Twitter on Monday to explain the cancer is contained to a specific spot and he will be fine.

“Just - Use it as a reminder to get your yearly scans,” Colonna said.

Ryan played for the Seahawks from 2008 to 2017 and has also played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Canadian Football League), Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills. He most recently played for his hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL in 2019.

In a decade with Seattle, Ryan appeared in 159 games and averaged 44.8 yards per punt.

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