Marshawn Lynch talks to ’60 Minutes: Sports’ about his running style, why he avoided the media
Jun 8, 2016, 4:52 PM | Updated: 4:57 pm
Former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch did more than just officially make his retirement clear during a 60 Minutes Sports/Sports Illustrated interview that aired Tuesday. He also provided a reminder of why his personality and persona will be nearly impossible to replace.
From Lynch’s Beast Mode store in Oakland, the 30 year old explained that his punishing running style stemmed from a conversation he had with his uncle Lorenzo Lynch, who was a defensive back in the NFL.
“We went to his house one time and he told me something like this: ‘It’s fourth and 1. Running back coming through the hole. I’m gonna kiss that (expletive) in the mouth.’ That’s what he told me. Smell his breath. This was at a young age, too. I think that’s just when it clicked in my mind that if you just run through somebody’s face, a lot of people ain’t going to be able to take that over and over and over… They’re just not gonna want that.”
The feature also included interviews with people close to Lynch, including California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who says he helped Lynch avoid the media after the Super Bowl.
“Put it this way, he did not wait for the team bus to leave after the game,” Newsom said. “He wanted to get the heck out of there. So I watched as he ran, sprinted right out and we grabbed him and took off and got him back to the hotel. He calls me Batman. He says, ‘Batman, we’ve got to talk about politics.’ That was his first words to me right after the Super Bowl.”
Other highlights from the interview
On his beef with the NFL and not talking to the media: “It is a lot of rules and regulations, but at the end of the day like, what, you get butt hurt over it or you find a way to advance them.”
On being smart with his money: “If you came from eating cereal with roaches in it before… you wouldn’t want to do that again, right? Once you’ve seen the lowest of the low, you don’t want to go back.”
On wide receiver Doug Baldwin tweeting coach Pete Carroll that nobody should wear Lynch’s No. 24 for a while: “Doug my boy. Doug a little edgy, but Doug my boy. I ain’t going to leave him out to dry. I feel that was a big statement for what he said.”
On reiterating that his playing days are done: “I’m retired. Is that good enough? Which camera do you want me to look into? This one? I’m done. I’m not playing football anymore.”
