Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has lost a lot of money in fines this season. Most of Beast Mode’s fines has been related to him “skirting” his media obligations. But today the NFL hit Lynch with a $20,000 fine for his “hold my di*k” post-touchdown celebration.
Lynch can look forward to more fines if he continues to avoid the media per Yahoo Sports:
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the NFL is also considering fining Lynch significantly more than the $50,000 for each of the past two seasons for not talking to the media. Lynch again declined to speak on Sunday after the NFC Championship.
Lynch, along with the rest of the Seahawks, is slated for media availability on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of next week. If he decides to go with his usual repeat-a-single-phrase routine, the Super Bowl trip could end up being a significant hit to his wallet. NFL officials said that each session in which Lynch declined to speak would accrue an escalating fine, with the initial fine to be more than $50,000.
While I understand that rules are rules – speaking about speaking to the media – I do believe that Lynch has a legit fear of public speaking to crowds. You can look in his eyes and see it. While I understand the frustration – and amusement – at his one phrase answer interviews, at what point do you just stop pushing an issue that’s not going to bear any good fruit? If he’s not saying anything of value, and he’s clearly uncomfortable, at some point you have to realize you can’t transform a person into a master speaker.
