Seattle Seahawks’ Marshawn Lynch is facing a fine of up to $100,000 for wearing a hat with a logo not approved by the NFL during Super Bowl week, according to an NFL source.
Lynch met his Super Bowl XLIX Media Day obligation, although he stubbornly refused to say anything other than that he was there so he won’t get fired. Lynch is not completely in the clear, however, as he wore an unauthorized hat during his five-minute appearance on the podium, according to The Washington Post.
Lynch wore a “Beast Mode” hat, which is his nickname and the name of his apparel company. He was fined $100,000 during the season for refusing to meet his league-required media obligations during the regular season.
At Tuesday’s Media Day, Lynch was seen setting a timer as he sat down to start the session. He stayed for just five minutes — meeting his obligation — and spoke only some variation of the same phrase 14 times. When the timer hit five minutes, Lynch said, “Thank you, I appreciate it,” and stepped away, according to ESPN.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Pete Carroll” author_title=”Seahawks coach”]
I think that you’re seeing a demonstration of a guy being himself and not being what everybody wants him to be. That’s why you continue to hear our players support him. He’s trying to do the best job he can being him.
[/quote]
The Seattle Seahawks have given Lynch full support, saying he’s “uncomfortable” in the spotlight and feels that reporters are trying to bait him into saying something that will be taken out of context, according to USA Today.
Lunch was threatened with a $500,000 fine by the NFL if he skipped Media Day. The league’s media policy does not contain language about how long a player must remain available. Lunch could still face fines if he fails to attend Thursday’s league-required session at the resort hotel.
