Johnnie Lynn, the San Francisco 49ers' special assistant to the head coach and assistant secondary coach, resigned his positions Tuesday for personal reasons, the team announced.
Head coach Mike Singletary called Lynn a "sounding board" and said he would miss working with him.
"I visited with Johnnie before he left," Singletary said during his news conference Wednesday. "All I'm going to say about that is it's something I will not comment on. But Johnnie and his family will deal with it, and I lose a good friend."
Secondary coach Vance Joseph, whom Singletary said has done the bulk of the work with the 49ers' defensive backs this season, will add Lynn's responsibilities with the secondary to his own.
Lynn, who in 2006 joined the 49ers' coaching staff -- his second stint with the team -- was a defensive back from 1979 to 1986 with the New York Jets. He was San Francisco's secondary coach in 1996 and also coached with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens. He was the Giants' defensive coordinator in 2002 and '03.
