After Marshawn Lynch answered almost every Media Day question with “I’m here so I won’t get fined” – he may be fined.
The fine from the NFL wouldn’t be for his answers but for the Beast Mode hat he wore. It wasn’t authorized NFL attire, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
This is yet another fine for Lynch, who has faced several this season.
In November, the NFL fined Lynch $50,000 for violations of the league's media policy in addition to collecting the $50,000 fine that was imposed against Lynch for violations last season. The fine from 2013 was held in anticipation of future cooperation from Lynch.
Lynch was fined $20,000 for making an obscene gesture during Seattle's overtime win over Green Bay in the NFC championship game. The league did not specify what the gesture was, but Lynch grabbed his crotch after scoring a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Lynch was fined $11,000 for a similar gesture in Seattle's win over Arizona on Dec. 21.
Here is more on the potential fine from Washington Post reporter Cindy Boren:
The NFL probably wouldn't levy the fine until after the Super Bowl, but it would be fairly ironic because Lynch was attempting in his own fashion to comply with rules after being fined $100,000 during the season for shirking league-required media obligations during the regular season. (And then there are the fines it has hit him with for his preferred means of celebrating touchdowns: the crotch grab.) So far, the NFL has not responded to requests for comment on the possibility of a Media Day fine.
It's the kind of attention to picayune detail that often gets the NFL criticized and mocked as the No Fun League, but, with a significant amount of revenue involved, the NFL isn't messing around. In 2007, the NFL fined Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears $100,000 for wearing a VitaminWater cap on Media Day, promoting a product that had no sponsorship deal with the league.
Lynch has much more to say when the price is right. Insurance company Progressive and candy maker Skittles released commercials featuring Lynch saying a bit more than his usual: "Yeah" and "Nope" and "Thanks for asking."
At Media Day last year, Lynch's reclusiveness became a major story. Lynch appeared for 6 1/2 minutes, left the arena, and then returned to a "mixed zone" the NFL created for players not on podiums or in microphone-equipped speaking areas at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
With the exception of briefly speaking with the NFL Network's Deion Sanders, to the Seahawks' website, and to Armed Forces Network, he did not deal with reporters that day.
Sanders, the Hall of Fame cornerback, tried again to interview Lynch, but got nowhere this time and left laughing.
Teammates defended Lynch's behavior.
"This is who he is. I don't nitpick or judge, so I just accept a person for who they are," All-Pro safety Earl Thomas said. "I just love who he is. He is so random."
Sherman even continued answering questions after the 60-minute session ended.
"I don't think (players) should be obligated any more than the commissioner is obligated to speak to the media," Sherman said. "I think that if players are going to be obligated to speak to the media then every one of the NFL personnel should be obligated to speak to the media weekly, and that's not the case.
"It's unfortunate, but I think that every team should be forced to present certain players, obviously a few of them. Obviously, if someone is uncomfortable in front of the media and uncomfortable answering questions, then you have to find a way to accommodate the NFL. This is a game; you find a way to accommodate everyone else who's uncomfortable."
Information from Associated Press reporter Rob Maddi is included in this report. Want to talk about the news of the day? Watch free streaming video on the KIRO 7 mobile app and iPad app, and join us here on Facebook.