One of the biggest and most interesting stories throughout Super Bowl Week has been the way that Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has handled the media attention leading up to the big game on Sunday.
Lynch has cut two media appearances short and had very little to say, but he has had to show up to the media obligations or else he would potentially face a six-figure fine.
As far as Lynch’s teammate, wide receiver Doug Baldwin, is concerned, it is absolutely ridiculous that Lynch is forced to be talk with the media.
“What is there to get? He doesn’t like talking to the media,” Baldwin said.
“That’s not what he’s about. I think it’s ridiculous that the NFL forces him to do that. They’ve threatened fines; they’ve threatened suspensions that if he didn’t talk to the media they were going to come down with harsh punishment. I don’t get it. You get fined for talking too much, you get fined for not talking at all. I don’t think he’s misunderstood; that’s just who he is. There’s nothing to misunderstand. He’s the most up-front and blunt person about who he is, so I don’t think there’s much to misunderstand.”
While Lynch has been shut off when it comes to the media, Baldwin says that all of his Seahawks teammates love the man known as “Beast Mode.”
“He’s a very caring person,” Baldwin said. “He’s compassionate about his teammates. He’s always looking out for his teammates, and it doesn’t matter what it is. He’s a big, caring guy. He’s not fake. He’s very blunt and honest about who he is. He doesn’t hesitate to voice his opinion about something to his teammates. A lot of respect is given to him because he’s that way.”
On Sunday night, all of the media hysteria and side stories will all be pushed to the side and we will finally get to see Lynch be all about that action, boss.