Marshawn Lynch Shows Up at Super Bowl 2015 Media Day So He ‘Won’t Get Fined’

Reclusive Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch was present at Super Bowl XLIX Media Day on Jan. 27. He said,”I’m just here so I won’t get fined” 30 times when asked questions by the media. The NFL reportedly would have fined him $500,000 had he not shown up, per ESPN.

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch made a short and memorable appearance during Super Bowl XLIX Media Day on Jan. 27.

During his four-minute, 51 second stint on the podium, Lynch answered every question with a variation of “I’m here so I won’t get fined,” per ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. Lynch did alter his delivery on occasion but did not really deviate from his message to the media. 

Legwold notes Lynch’s Media Day was “over an hour less than all his teammates and coaches.” He answered a total of 29 questions and then said “time” once the four-minute, 51 second mark was up. He then stood up and walked away.

A source told ESPN’s Ed Werder that Lynch would have been fined $500,000 by the NFL had he not shown up for this year’s Media Day, per Legwold.

A National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) executive was on hand for Lynch’s Media Day appearance. Legwold estimates there were around 200 reporters around the Seahawks running back’s podium.

Lynch didn’t answer any of the media’s questions. Instead, Legwold says, “He set a timer on his phone, caught a bag of Skittles tossed from the crowd and stopped to pick up a reporter’s recorder off the floor before he walked away.”

The league’s media policy states Lynch will be fined if he skips NFL-mandated sessions on Jan. 28 and 29 at the Seattle Seahawks’ hotel for Super Bowl XLIX, Legwold stresses. 

Representatives from the NFL, NFLPA, the Seattle Seahawks and Lynch’s camp had several meetings over the course of the week regarding his responsibilities. According to ESPN, Seahawks officials were still uncertain of what Lynch would do during Super Bowl XLIX Media Day as late as Monday afternoon. 

A year ago, Lynch was at Super Bowl XLVIII Media Day saying, “I’m just ’bout that action, Boss,” per Legwold. 

Lynch as had his share of fines during the 2014 NFL season.  He violated the NFL’s media policy in November, incurring a $50,000 fine in the process. An additional $50,000 fine from the 2013 NFL season was collected at that time. The NFL also fined Lynch $20,000 for an obscene gesture he made after he scored a touchdown during the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers. He also paid an $11,050 fine last month for a similar gesture, says Legwold.

Marshawn Lynch’s media antics have made him one of the NFL’s most popular running backs »
http://t.co/31eo8M8lQ5 pic.twitter.com/uXSwTI9Wjv— Pro Football on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 27, 2015

On the other hand, Lynch’s teammate, defensive lineman Michael Bennett, was his exact opposite during Super Bowl XLIX Media Day. According to NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus, Bennett dished out quotes more than “the (New England) Patriots will offer in a decade” during a five-minute span.  

Among his most notable lines were voicing out a preference for Rick Ross as Super Bowl Halftime Show performer and nominating himself as the best Michael, topping Mike Tyson, Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan, per NFL.com.

Hanzus asked Bennett about his opinion on the Seattle Seahawks defense if it manages to beat Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in consecutive years. He said,”Yeah, it’s like Madonna annnnnnd Marilyn Monroe. So that’s going to be cool.”

Bennett then chimed in on Brady, per Hanzus:

“I compare him to Captain America. I think about Aaron Rodgers, he’s like Chris Evans before the got the HGH injection in Captain America. But before he was super smart and was still witty and stuff. That’s how I see Tom Brady.”

Bennett also told NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal during Super Bowl XLIX Media Day on Tuesday he isn’t worried about Patriots left tackle Nate Solder scoring a touchdown against him like he did against the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts. Bennett put his trust in Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor:

Bennett quipped,”If he catches a pass, Kam might knock him to next week…So many of the linemen are overweight. I’m in shape. I do Total Gym, so I can last a lot longer than them.”

I4U News will again bring you full coverage of the 2015 Super Bowl Ads. Super Bowl 2015 will take place on Feb. 1, 2015 in Arizona. The Super Bowl XLIX game will be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. NBC is broadcasting Super Bowl 2015.

The Super Bowl 2015 Halftime Show will be performed by Katy Perry. The constantly updated Super Bowl Ads List is constantly tracking all Super Bowl Ads.