An awkward moment occurred near the end of Saturday night’s preseason game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Green Bay Packers involving rookie quarterback Jason Bean.
As the Colts took over possession, one announcer began to announce Riley Leonard as the quarterback entering the game for Indianapolis. Bean however took over, leading to the announcer unintentionally using a racial slur to refer to Bean.
The situation is just another reminder to sports announcers to be extremely careful about what they say on the airwaves. Although not as near as bad, it brings back memories of Detroit Tigers announcer Jack Morris mocking Shohei Ohtani by using an Asian accent, former Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman using a homophobic slur when discussing the city of Kansas City and former Oakland Athletics announcer Glen Kuiper using a racial slur when discussing the Negro Leagues Museum.
Bean was the fourth Colts quarterback to see action on Saturday. He completed just three of seven passes for 37 yards in the loss. Daniel Jones led the way with 101 yards on 7/11 passing, followed by Anthony Richardson (73 yards on 6/11 passing) and Riley Leonard (64 yards on 7/12 passing).
The game overall was a bit of an awkward one, as none of the seven quarterbacks (between both teams) threw a passing touchdown. Green Bay quarterback Sean Clifford scored a go-ahead rushing touchdown with 1:31 remaining, giving the Packers the late lead and the win.
Bean did not get an opportunity to play in Indianapolis’ preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Aug. 7. The Mansfield, TX native played six seasons of college football (three at North Texas, three at Kansas) and signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft.
In 51 career collegiate football games, Bean totaled 5,969 yards passing, 55 passing touchdowns and 26 interceptions. He’ll now continue to compete for a spot on the Indianapolis Colts roster as the regular season quickly approaches.