Marshawn Lynch on Super Bowl final play: 'I was expecting the ball'
Marshawn Lynch told Turkish television that he "was expecting" the ball on the final play of the Super Bowl against the Patriots.
Breaking news: Marshawn Lynch is talking to the media! It's the Turkish media, but it's still the media. And he's talking about the final play of the Super Bowl.
The Seahawks running back, notoriously unhappy with the American press, sat down with NTV Spor and revealed, via Eric Edholm of Yahoo! Sports, he "was expecting the ball" on the final play against the Patriots, when Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson.
"To be honest with you, I would be lying if I didn't tell you that I was expecting the ball," Lynch told. "Yes, I was expecting the ball. But in life, these things happen. Like I told a reporter after the game, it's a team sport."
Lynch, along with (soon to be former) Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams and Browns tight end Gary Barnidge, were on a trip with American Football Without Borders, a non-profit started by Barnidge, in Turkey and their full interview can be seen below.
And while he expected the ball, Lynch also had no interest in ripping Pete Carroll or Darrell Bevell. He danced around what would've happened if he scored the (likely) winning touchdown.
On the latest Eye on Football Podcast, we talked about Marshawn chatting up a Turkish reporter ... and how that's the most Marshawn thing ever (and never miss an episode by subscribing here):
"I had no problem with the decision of the play-calling. I mean, you know ... I think it was more of a ... how do I say this? When you look at me, and you let me run that ball in ... I am the face of the nation. You know, MVP of the Super Bowl ... that's pretty much the face of the nation at that point of time," Lynch said. "I mean, maybe it was a good thing that I didn't get the ball. I mean, you know, it cost us the Super Bowl. I mean, I have full ... I have full confidence in my teammates to execute that plan because we've done it so many more times. But would I love to had the ball in? Yes, I would have.
"But the game is over, and I am in Turkey."
If you were clinging to the notion of Lynch having some sort of fear of speaking or social anxiety, you can dismiss that. He looked remarkably comfortable in front of the camera in another country.
Part of it may be the idea that the words wouldn't be immediately seen and regurgitated around the American media but that ship's already sailed anyway.
Maybe he just prefers a laid-back style of interview in a 1-on-1 type of situation. Whatever the case, we got Lynch's fairly unvarnished version of how he perceived the end of the Super Bowl. It's nice to hear. Wherever he says it.
















