OT-Marshawn Lynch at media day

Submitted by trueblue262 on
I know he has his right to not speak, but it's rediculous.
He's answering all questions with "I'm just here so I won't get fined"

His Dudeness

January 27th, 2015 at 2:55 PM ^

Perhaps it isn't a "shtick" and he has a legit social anxiety disorder?

I know personally I have a lot of trouble in places like "networking events" or "career fair" type environments since I was diagnosed with PTSD. Maybe he really has trouble with it as well.

I dont think anyone should be forced to talk to the media. It's actually pretty sickening that they force him to do it IMO.

Drew_Silver

January 27th, 2015 at 3:08 PM ^

The man in an entertainer - his job is to entertain on and off the field.

it is not too much to ask him to politely answer questions

he had a silly news conference with skittles - so he doesn't mind answering questions when he wants to

if he did the skittles thing b/c he got paid then he should answer the sports reporters' questions as well b/c that is why he has such a big contract!  the NFL salaries would be nothing without TV dollars and front page sports coverage!

The NFL is a media monster! every player needs to feed the beast - if you don't want to feed it then play in a rec league

Tater

January 27th, 2015 at 5:25 PM ^

I think Lynch is quite entertaining.  They are forcing him to do something he doesn't want to do and he is screwing it up for them.  The media are acting like a bunch of babies because they feel entitled to have athletes provide them with self-writing stories.  

The coverage of 2 psi for the entire first week of Super Bowl hype is the laziest and most entitled I have ever seen the media act.  Are they actually going to get around to writing any Super Bowl stories at all?  There are plenty of great stories and angles out there and all they want to do is harp on 2 psi and Marshawn Lynch.  

Worst Super Bowl "coverage" ever...

Witz57

January 27th, 2015 at 5:54 PM ^

That's such a bs "define is" comment.  The origional supposition was that he was an entertainer so he should be good at talking to people since it is entertainment as well and is magically the same kind of entertainment.  That supposition is pretty bs and now you're trying to draw to be technical to connect the semantics rather than actually look at the spirit of and real world meaning of whether the comment is relevant.

Witz57

January 27th, 2015 at 5:57 PM ^

If you had a football player who could average 7.5 ypg 20 times a game but didn't like talking to people would you want him on your team?  If not, you're a fool.

He also does that in full stadiums.  People still seem to show up no matter how much he does or does not talk to the media.  So your crazy hypotetical argument isn't exactly relevant.

You even admit your example exacts in a world that is not the one we or Marshawn Lynch live in.

xxxxNateDaGreat

January 27th, 2015 at 3:23 PM ^

No, not off the field. His job is to play football and respond to the same dumb mass media questions that every player gets. He responds, just not with the boring cliches that many other players give them.

Also, if you think that athletes giving the copy-paste cliff notes response is more entertaining than watching the media flip out over said response, then there is no hope.

bluebyyou

January 27th, 2015 at 2:59 PM ^

Lynch is obligated, as a player employed by a team that is part of the National Football League to observe certain codes of conduct.  In this regard, i.e., making himself available to the press and to answer their questions, he has no rights.  Doing what he is doing may satisfy the formal requirement, but certainly not the substantive component.  I don't know just how, or if, the NFLPA would defend him.

If I were the NFL, I'd give him a few opportunities and then suspend him indefinitely, and he can exercise plan "B" which, I suspect, won't pay anywhere near as well.

Muttley

January 27th, 2015 at 3:40 PM ^

A Russian peasant owned one well-producing cow, but was miserable because his neighbor had two.

One day, good fortune shined on this peasant: A sorcerer--passing by the peasant's house--saw the peasant and took a liking to him.  He approached the peasant and announced, "Good Comrade, I am a Sorcerer, and today is your lucky day!  I will grant you one wish."

The peasant replied, "I want one of my neighbor's cows to die."

Mr. Owl

January 27th, 2015 at 8:57 PM ^

You may be onto something.  Lynch should answer questions with nonsensicle parables.  How long do you think the press would bother him if every question was answered with something that made them think about what the hell he was trying to convey, but ultimately made no sense.  Particularly if he rambled on for hours.

 

Do you think you'll have a good game?



Once in Eastern Lituania, a boy was born with only nine toes.  When he grew up to be.... (never any mention of nine toes or why that might be relevant is mentioned during the next two and a half hours)

Witz57

January 27th, 2015 at 6:00 PM ^

He's only obligated out of the formal requirement, he's formally fufilling that requirment.  If you want to switch the argument to morality than you're on thin ice including that formal obligation.

If the NFL starts getting rid of good football players that people like to follow because they're not good at talking they're idiots.

MGoCarolinaBlue

January 27th, 2015 at 3:32 PM ^

Yeah. The whole thing -- the NFL fines and the fact that reporters won't just leave the man alone -- is fucking ridiculous.



Some people think he's doing it for attention or whatever, to me that just seems ridiculous. Attention is clearly the last thing he wants.



I mean damn, did you see the one interview where the only things he said were 1) "yea", 2) "maybe", and 3) "I have a charity event coming up to benefit inner-city youth". Dude's awesome if you ask me. After he retires from ball, they should hire him to be director of media relations at Fort Schembechler.

bronxblue

January 27th, 2015 at 3:12 PM ^

Yeah, I never understood this.  He isn't going to give the reporters anything to use except silence, and they could write 99% of their articles about how "enigmatic" this guy is without the hassle.

That said, I absolutely expect to read an article in 4-5 years when he is out of the league about how "misunderstood" he was and how the media unfairly treated him as opposed to him not wanting to answer questions but also being a bit of an ass given the fact he's paid millions of dollars to play football and, as part of that agreement, he is expected to deal with some media responsibilities.  I doubt he cares and I'm fine with him blowing off reporters if he wants, but he's not a victim here either.  Lots of athletes don't like talking to the press but do so in a more constructive manner.

BornInA2

January 27th, 2015 at 3:26 PM ^

Or the media could just leave him the hell alone. At this point (and I live in Seattle), I really don't care a whit about the rights of the media to demand that anyone answer their questions (and I felt the same way about Lloyd Carr).

Fining this guy because he doen't answer questions in a particular way or because he doesn't show up to answer questions is just stupid. I'd feel the same way it was Tiger Woods or Tom Brady or anyone else.

wesq

January 27th, 2015 at 2:52 PM ^

That's part of his job this week, he gets handsomely reward for it. If you don't want media attention go bag groceries at Kroger or anything else really. NFL wants him to promote the league and in his own socially inept way he is. If the NFL just let guys out of it without fines then no one would ever show up. All this media frenzy helps promote what will be one of the highest rated programs in television history.

Rico616

January 27th, 2015 at 2:55 PM ^

He gets handsomely rewarded because of his play on the field, not because of what he tells reporters.

I think "obligation" aspect is annoying. If somebody doesn't want to speak, why force them? He gets the job done on the field which is why we watch the game.

bluebyyou

January 27th, 2015 at 3:10 PM ^

No...you derived the equation and the equality.  I said they were both about conduct.  The point was that conduct detrimental to the league is not acceptable.  And, fwiw, until very recently, the not quite so holy NFL seemed to do a pretty good job of overlooking domestic battery.

aplatypus

January 27th, 2015 at 3:21 PM ^

you did when you said him speaking is like Ray Rice punching his fiancee. 

No one made any connection except you. 

I can guarantee beyond 1 million percent that the Seahawks do not give a single flying fuck if he talks to the media compared to how he plays. That is the NFL being stupid and obsessive about it. The Seahawks don't make either super bowl without him, they would not trade that him talking to moron reporters in any reality. 

bluebyyou

January 27th, 2015 at 4:22 PM ^

Because one refers to two related matters doesn't necessarily equate them.  Using your logic, and applying it to crime, murder is the same as making an illegal left turn because someone used the two terms in a sentence when referring to crimes.

It's not about Lynch's playmaking abilities, which is a straw man.  It is solely about an NFL policy that Lynch is obligated to follow.  Nothing more, nothing less. 

Do you think any player, with the possible exception of Richard Sherman, who likes to open his mouth, wants to be out there being asked the same dumb questions time after time?  The answer is no, but they appear because the league requires them to do so.

bluebyyou

January 27th, 2015 at 3:17 PM ^

Really....it is a simple issue of employment law and employee obligations which set the metes and bounds of the discussion.

Ray Rice was a conduct issue  just as drug testing and failed drug tests are conduct issues just like Lynch wearing gold bottom shoes and not talking to the press is a matter of conduct.

In matters of conduct, Lynch largely left his rigts at the door when he signed his contract and is paid millions of dollars a year for the privilege.