Marshawn Lynch’s coldness to the media apparently does not extend worldwide.
The reticent superstar finally opened up about the heartbreaking Seahawks defeat to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, offering his undivided thoughts to Turkish media as part of a promotional tour.
“To be honest with you, I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I was expecting the ball,” Lynch told NTV Spor, Turkey’s leading sports network, about Seattle’s infamous final play, a 1-yard pass attempt that was intercepted when a Beast Mode punch-in could have been the go-ahead score. “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.”
In halting speech, Lynch then suggests that while these things do happen, they may have happened to him for a specific reason.
“I had no problem with the decision of the playcalling,” Lynch said. “I mean, you know … 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. 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 mean, I have full … 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 in? Yes, I would have.”
Lynch never outright states it (He’s couching so he won’t get fined?), but the implication is clear: If Lynch weren’t a media-shy fine machine, if he were a more friendly avatar for the NFL to call its own, perhaps coach Pete Carroll would have called his number. Instead of Malcolm Butler’s instantly iconic interception, maybe Lynch’s dreadlocked countenance would be the defining image from the biggest game of the U.S.’s sports world.
“But the game is over, and I am in Turkey,” Lynch said.
The 28-year-old, along with fellow NFL players DeAngelo Williams and Gary Barnidge, journeyed to western Asia to promote American Football Without Barriers, a non-profit bent on growth of the game in countries such as Turkey, China and Brazil.