Photo Courtesy: Jim Bryant / NW Guardian
Marshawn Lynch went to media day “Just so I don’t get fined” from the league office of the NFL, who has burned a hole in his wallet before with regards to not speaking to the media after games. This has and continues to be an ongoing battle between the Seahawks and NFL.
When Lynch sat down at his podium in the middle of what will be the very field he plays on in five days time, he cut right to the chase with the massive gathering of media that had arrived and waited to see what he would say this time around.
This appearance featured more than a one word answer as he stated to all who could hear “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” He would repeat this answer 29 times in the four minutes he stayed during his media session. It did not matter what questions the media threw at, he stood firm with that answer or some similar variation of, until he said “time” then promptly left the building.There is no rule in the NFL that he had to stay for a perceived amount of time. He showed up and did sit for a couple of minutes which crosses off all the requirements he had to fulfill for his media duties.
Now whether you like his stance he takes with the media or not, this encompasses a larger issue, should the NFL have it be required that all players speak to the media? Some players such as Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Peyton Manning are great at talking with the media and giving them opinions and answers to questions they have. They have a comfort level to speak in front of a large group of people in a room, not everyone does though.
Just as everyone has different habits and vices, not everyone is willing and or comfortable with speaking to a big group of people who have microphones and camera rolling in your face. Lynch is a perfect example of a man who isn’t comfortable talking to people he knows little about and be there for a lengthy Q&A session when he just came off the field playing his heart out for the Seahawks. He is serious about his craft and the focus level he has on it is almost unbeatable.
There is really no solid reason the NFL could give as to pull him from focusing on his own game just to answer some questions from the media, which they know he dreads doing. Knowing that, why the league acts surprised or looks down upon Lynch for giving his short answers to the media corps is anyone’s guess.
The fines, though not really hitting Lynch hard with how much he gets paid and has made in his career, still is unwarranted in my view and only makes him want to resist doing this whole media appearance part even more than he already does.
With everything else that has gone on in the NFL over the past year or two off the field, this should be small potatoes compared to other acts players have committed that have put the league’s reputation and public image in major jeopardy.
The NFL should make it optional for players to talk to the media, let the players who are willing and comfortable enough to speak at length in a public setting with media members go and talk. If there are players who like Lynch do not feel comfortable speaking to them, the NFL should let them just tend to their game and allow them to go get treatment and go home. It would make for a more harmonious and easier process for both the media and players to deal with and get through.
So if your for or against Lynch and how he approaches these media sessions, one thing is for sure, the NFL should do something to rectify this situation for him and all other players who do not mesh well with talking with reporters, or face more media sessions like the one Lynch gave on Tuesday for the world to see and judge the league on it.
