At media day, Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch went to his podium and for 5 minutes answered every question by saying “I’m only here so I won’t get fined.” This is not the first time Lynch has avoided answering questions from the media.
During the 2013 season, Lynch was fined by the NFL $50,000 for refusing to talk to the media throughout the season. Lynch was fined again for not talking to the media earlier this year for $100,000. The following week he answered every question by saying either “Thanks for asking” or “I appreciate you asking.”
There are lots of fans who feel that Marshawn Lynch should not be forced to talk to the media, but is it really a big deal for Lynch not to talk to the media?
Lynch obviously does not respect the media by not answering questions in a respectable matter. The mere fact that Lynch would rather answer questions by just saying “Yeah” and “Thanks for asking” is just wasting everybody’s time. Part of the blame could lie on the media for instead of going to someone who is willing to answer questions, goes to Lynch asking questions, knowingly that they won’t get full answers.
Marshawn Lynch though should take into consideration that he signed the contract that states he has to talk to the media. It’s in every players contract. He should take this process seriously. If players had the option not to talk to the media, it could lead to many fans not getting the players perspective.
Not everyone is on Lynch’s side. Rodney Harrison went on the Dan Patrick Show and mentioned his distaste for Lynch’s actions.
Rodney Harrison on Marshawn Lynch not talking: “A lot of young African-American kids look up to him and people applaud it. It’s not right.”
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) January 28, 2015
Should Marshawn Lynch be forced to talk to the media? Let us know in the comments section below.