Super Bowl 2015 Media Day: Marshawn Lynch Shows up to Avoid Fine
"I'm just here so I won't get fined."
That's how Marshawn Lynch — sporting an unlicensed baseball cap, among others — answered questions and caught media attention at the NFL's Pre-Super Bowl XLIX Media Day held at US Airways Center on Tuesday afternoon, reported Mashable. Watch it below:
"You all could stay here and ask me all the questions you want to, I'm gonna answer with the same answer, so you all can shoot if you all please," he started.
The media did still field their questions, but Lynch made good on his promise.
"He did throw a 'I'm just here so I won't get fined' and a 'Hey, I'm just here so I won't get fined' at various points — and really mixed things up with a 'I'm here so I won't get fined, boss' — but you get the idea," quipped The Washington Post.
Occasionally, he said thank yous, blew kisses, did the peace sign, waved to or saluted people. He also told a reporter: "Hey, you gotta make more with your time. You only got three minutes."
Apparently, explained Sports Radio KJR reporter Curtis Crabtree on Twitter, he had a timer on his phone, which was set for five minutes.
He kept tabs, saying "Time!" when the time is up and then leaving the media for the rest of the supposedly hourlong session.
"Marshawn Lynch, the crotch-grabbing, interview-hating star running back for the Seattle Seahawks, had a simple message for reporters," said Mashable, citing ESPN reporter Ed Werder's tweet setting the supposed fine for his absence at $500,000.
But, although he attended, he just wasn't agreeing to the media policy, noted Fox Sports. Thus. he wasn't giving quotable answers — to at least 29 questions, including those by friend and NFL Network reporter Deion Sanders.
It's not the first time, the piece added. In previous interviews he reportedly answered questions with a "yeah" on one occasion and "I appreciate you asking" on another.
He was previously fined $100,000 for making himself unavailable to the media. Not that he is affected by the burden, leading "in 100-yard rushing games (24), total touchdowns (56) and overall rushing yardage (5,357) since the start of the 2011 season," per Fox Sports.
It is yet to be confirmed if his act would merit a fine, Mashable said. Fox Sports noted: "An NFL spokesman didn't provide an immediate answer..."
But, although he wasn't really good with talk, he wasn't always the type to refuse interviews, said Yahoo Sports. Back in high school and college, and even as a pro, he was an accommodating player.
However, the article claimed that the hard-line stance of unknown origins is nevertheless a "genius" marketing strategy, since he definitely got media attention.
"He's become sympathetic even when his signature on-field celebration is a profane gesture —that's how much people like people who don't talk to the media," it said. "Why anyone asked him anything, let alone 29 things, is just part of the fun."