If you thought Marshawn Lynch was a bizarre character then his latest exploit won’t surprise you. Lynch famously avoided media questions during the Super Bowl and has not been making much noise since the Seattle Seahawks loss in the big game.
Marshawn finally opened up to the media this past week but it wasn’t the American media. It was the Turkish media. And yes, they talked about American football.
The Seahawks running back was a veritable chatterbox during a nearly 30-minute sitdown with a Turkish television network last week. Lynch is in Turkey with fellow NFL players DeAngelo Williamsand Gary Barnidge promoting American Football Without Barriers, a not-for-profit camp that seeks to grow the support outside America.
Probably the big question on everybody’s mind is….what about the final play of the Super Bowl?
Lynch had been mostly silent on the topic — until Ismail Senol entered the equation.
“To be honest with you, I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I was expecting the ball,” Lynch said. “Yes, I was expecting the ball. But in life, these things happen. Like I told a reporter after the game, it’s a team sport.”
Lynch didn’t put the blame on Carroll, though his ensuing explanation left plenty of room for interpretation.
“I had no problem with the decision of the playcalling. I think it was more of a … how do I say this? When you look at me, and you let me run that ball in … I am the face of the nation,” he said. “You know, MVP of the Super Bowl, that’s pretty much the face of the nation at that point of time. I don’t know what went into that call. I mean, maybe it was a good thing that I didn’t get the ball. I mean, you know, it cost us the Super Bowl. I have full confidence in my teammates to execute that plan because we’ve done it so many more times. But would I love to had the ball there? Yeah, I would have.
“But the game is over, and I’m in Turkey.”
On one hand, Lynch plays the “team” card saying he has no problem with the call. But at the same time, he takes a shot by basically saying that he wasn’t given the ball because of who he was.
I don’t think we will ever fully understand Marshawn Lynch but he’s clearly one of the most intriguing athletes of our time.
[NFL]
