47 Red: John Lynch has the greatest alter ego ever
Dec 10, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch stands on the field before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
John Lynch is known now for being the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers. But before his career as an NFL executive, Lynch was a feared safety whose playing career was so good that he made the Hall of Fame. It was during his time as a player that he earned his nickname — or became recognized for — his alter ego of “47 Red.”
Many people who weren’t previously familiar with the “47 Red” nickname learned about it on Sunday thanks to a report about how Lynch dealt with De’Vondre Campbell.
Campbell refused to play in the 49ers’ game against the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night because he was upset over a demotion. Lynch went down to the field to address Campbell and ultimately sent the linebacker off the field over the stunt.
On Sunday, FOX NFL reporter Jay Glazer shared that members of the 49ers’ organization got to witness “47 Red” during that time.
“I got players who called me after and said, ‘Hey, we’ve heard you talk about this alter ego of John Lynch, this 47 Red character. Man, we saw it. That dude is crazy.’ They all saw it first-hand,” Glazer reported.
Glazer first told the public about the 47 Red alter ego back in 2018. According to Glazer, Lynch got that nickname for his mean alter ego from his Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates. Lynch was a violent, hard-hitting safety who played the game with passion.
Some of Lynch’s important tenets as 47 Red include: “Do not disrespect the game, the player hierarchy or anything sacred about football to 47 Red, period.”
Campbell disrespected his team and the game on Thursday, and that’s why 47 Red made an appearance. Lynch played 11 seasons with the Bucs and four with the Denver Broncos before retiring after the 2007 season. He won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021. He also has a Hall of Fame alter ego.
