Matt Ryan returns, asks for privacy; Julio Jones misses another practice

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan asked for us to respect his privacy and didn’t want to discuss why he missed practice for a ‘personal matter.’ Video by D. Orlando Ledbetter

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan returned to practice Wednesday after missing a day to attend to a personal matter.

Ryan did not want to address why he left the practice facility Tuesday, after attending a team meeting for what team officials described as an appointment.

“I just want to thank everyone for their support and outreach. It means a lot to me. I’ve always tried to keep my family life … private. I hope you can respect that and I’d like to continue doing that moving forward.

“I’m excited about this weekend and the opportunity that we have in front of us. That’s all that I want to say about that. Hopefully, you can respect that.”

Ryan and his wife announced last month that the couple was expecting twins in April. Falcons coach Dan Quinn and team officials also would not detail his absence or say whether the appointment was pregnancy-related.

The Falcons play at the Eagles in an NFC Divisional playoff game Saturday.

The team said there was a possibility that Ryan could return in time to take part in Tuesday’s practice, but he did not.

In other injury report news:  wide receiver Julio Jones (ankle) did not practice for the second day in a row in advance of the postseason game.

Tight end Levine Toilolo (knee) fully participated in practice.

Linebacker LaRoy Reynolds (knee) was added to the injury report and was limited  along with running back Devonta Freeman (knee) and wide receiver Mohamed Sanu (knee).