Marshawn Lynch offers surprising take on infamous Super Bowl play
Dec 29, 2019; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) during the second half against the San Francisco 49ers at CenturyLink Field. San Francisco defeated Seattle 26-21. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Marshawn Lynch did some incredible things when he got the ball during his NFL career, but one of the most memorable plays involving him was one in which his number was not called. The former running back opened up about that infamous Seattle Seahawks blunder recently.
Lynch was a guest on Brandon Marshall’s “I Am Athlete” podcast this week. He was asked about the Seahawks’ decision to throw the ball at the goal line when they had a chance to beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl eight years ago. While Lynch seemed to agree that Pete Carroll and the Seahawks blew a major opportunity, he made a surprising admission about the heartbreaking loss.
“That was the type of situation (where) I’m boiling. The only thing I could think to do is I need to get in (Pete Carroll’s) face,” Lynch said. “What happened is you’re in that mindset of like, ‘You should have gave me the ball, you should have gave me the ball.’ But what it let me do is it gave me the opportunity to see how people really felt about me. When I walk in that building, that was a level of respect. That was the highest level of respect.”
Lynch said the outrage over him not getting the ball actually opened doors for him to make money with endorsements and the like.
“We at the peak of our careers, with the opportunity to go head and start a dynasty, and then we fumbled the bag on the 2-yard line. It really helped me with that business,” Lynch said. “Now them bills are coming in and people are like, ‘Man, they should have gave him the ball!'”
Marshawn Lynch opens up about not getting the ball in the most pivotal moment of Super Bowl XLIX:
“We at the peak of our careers, with the opportunity to go head and start a dynasty, and then we fumbled the bag on the two yard line.”
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The Seahawks were trailing the Patriots 28-24 and had 1st-and-goal from the New England 1 with around 25 seconds remaining in Super Bowl XLIX. They also had a timeout remaining. Rather than handing the ball to Lynch, who was arguably the best running back in the NFL at the time, Seattle tried to fool the Pats by calling a quick-slant pass play. Malcolm Butler jumped the route and came away with arguably the greatest interception in NFL history.
Russell Wilson said at the time that he did not think the play call was a mistake. Lynch also took the high road.
Lynch was already a popular player before the Seahawks blew it. Most people would not view the Butler interception as a positive for Lynch or anyone else associated with his former team, which is why his comments were so interesting.