Playing on the same team as Marshawn Lynch seemed like it was a ton of fun. On the field, you got to watch one of the most entertaining running backs of the last decade, as Lynch would be capable of moments of brute force the likes of which no other running back on earth could replicate.
But off the field, Lynch seemed like a legitimately fantastic person. He was capable of being hilarious just as easily as he could speak from his heart on an important issue. Just watch his episode of Running Wild with Bear Grylls for proof of all of this.
While Lynch is gone, his presence still looms large around the Seahawks organization. The Seattle Times caught up with a few guys on Seattle’s roster and asked for their favorite Marshawn stories. Here’s one from Doug Baldwin…
My first week here, we were outside on the field, and I was talking to Justin Forsett. I kind of knew Justin a little bit, so we were talking about Stanford. He brings Marshawn over and goes, ‘He’s a Stanford kid.’ And Marshawn goes, ‘Maaaaan, (expletive) Stanford.’ And that was my introduction to Marshawn. He wasn’t trying to be negative or anything. He was trying to set the tone.
…and here’s another from Bobby Wagner.
As a rookie, you kind of go too hard at practice. He came to the defensive huddle and told me I was going too hard and really was getting in my face. And then after practice, he came up to me and was like: ‘Don’t stop doing what you’re doing. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you could be really good in this league.’ It was a test to see if I was going to back down. Ever since that point, he’s always been on me: ‘Don’t be like the other linebackers.’
But the best story involves Lynch and former Seahawks receiver Ricardo Lockette, whose career ended due to a terrifying neck injury that he suffered during a game against the Dallas Cowboys. The hit nearly killed him, but even as he was in the hospital working his way back from a life-altering injury, Lynch managed to make him laugh.
Lockette’s story started in a hospital room in Dallas on the day his football career ended. He couldn’t move his neck. Offensive lineman Russell Okung was on his right, Lynch on his left. Lynch made Lockette laugh so hard that Lockette eventually told him: “Bro, you’re going to kill me! I haven’t had surgery yet.”
“He just told me, ‘Don’t be in here crying,’” Lockette said. “’Don’t be doing all that crying because Beast Mode don’t cry, and if you cry, I’m going to cry.’
Marshawn Lynch will forever be the best.
(Via The Seattle Times)
