Media, leave Marshawn alone

The Seahawks just cannot win with the media. After listening to Clayton and others call out Marshawn, I had to get this off my chest. One week players talk too much, the next week they, Marshawn, don't talk enough and it's a black eye or distraction for the team. Give me a break. Every sports news story today starts with his interview and people complaining. This is exactly why he hates talking to you!

I thought he was great today and was the person he normally is and I think I can speak for others around here and say that is one of many reasons why we as fans, and his own teammates, appreciate him so much.

Now back to being stressed out for me.

Some in the media are working very hard to make the Seahawks the villains. It's pretty pathetic.

Hang on a minute.

So it's OK for Lynch to do what he wants and ignore (and disrespect) the media.

But the media aren't allowed to do exactly the same thing by doing what they want and responding?

If he'd just answered the questions like 105 other players yesterday nobody would be saying anything negative in the media.

He brought this on himself and we have to accept that.

It's also okay for fans to blast the media in response. Bottom line, it's all good. Nothing other than ego has been harmed.. I doubt that Marshawn gives any of it a second thought. Beyond that, I think that Deon Sanders interview probably gave a better insight into Marshawn Lynch than a mass press encounter at the podium. As a general rule, I think that forcing people to be interviewed is a bad practice. Some folks aren't programmed to do it.

theENGLISHseahawk":30i3i3g9 said:

Hang on a minute.

So it's OK for Lynch to do what he wants and ignore (and disrespect) the media.

But the media aren't allowed to do exactly the same thing by doing what they want and responding?

If he'd just answered the questions like 105 other players yesterday nobody would be saying anything negative in the media.

He brought this on himself and we have to accept that.

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Wow.

I listened to Marshawn's "6-minute" interview and I thought he was very open and honest with who he was. The braying idiots in the media who are calling him out can get bent. I really have no time for them.

I think it's absolutely ridiculous the NFL expects to put everyone under the microscope like that in front of the entire world. There's a lot of people who just hate that kind of thing.

I know personally in school going up in front of the class to give a presentation was the worst thing imaginable. Even if I nail the debate and defeat the "genius" honor student who was in special advanced classes etc, etc. it doesn't make it worth my while. I don't study like the honor student, I don't care about school like the honor student, frankly I don't give a damn about the whole system.

It doesn't matter if I win or lose in my public presentations, I just don't give a damn. All I wanna do is play the game. I know I can do everything to win, but do I really need to jump through hoops in these artificial systems to prove myself to some imaginary standard?

I think these required media interviews are EXACTLY like all the bull crap people have to put up with in modern society. A lot of these procedures are completely worthless, a waste of time, it's just artificial nonsense.

I think a very gifted and intelligent person who doesn't give a damn about school and hates doing presentations in front of the class is a pretty good equivalent to Marshawn Lynch in the NFL. He is an amazing player, why force him to do this stuff he doesn't care one slight bit about. It's a waste of time and insulting that such a high emphasis is put on this nonsense.

Our society has gone down the drain in many ways, the NFL forcing players to talk to the media is just one good example.

*End Drunken Rant*

Personally I don't care, but the media does have a tendency to take things out of context and I can see why Lynch doesn't talk to 'em.

I just wish we did get a bit more Beast interviews, dudes the best interview on the team IMO.

peachesenregalia":1wzloi6b said:

Rob's a journo. He will always side with the media, even over players from his favorite team.

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It's pretty sad and pathetic that journalists even have a unified "side," a side that all bands together like the mafia to try to bully their way into getting what they want.

I still remember when Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy went off on a media member for writing an unprofessional article about one of his players, something that by all rights looked like a noble act, and the media immediately goes to work at defaming him as the unprofessional one, etc.

They're a bunch of jackals and very few operate with any sense of integrity. It's lovely that anyone would want to defend such a group.

"LEAVE MARSHAWN ALONE!!" HE LOVES HIS SKITTLES!! ALL YOU PEOPLE WANT IS MORE, MORE MORE, MORE, MORE!!"

Don't expect the NFL to fine Lynch for the day's adventure.

"Players are required to participate and he participated," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Around The League in an email.

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The Pro Football Writers of America, however, released a statement saying it was "extremely disappointed" with Lynch's behavior during Media Day.

"Several of our long-standing and high profile members were appalled by Mr. Lynch's conduct and refusal to answer any questions," the statement read, per ProFootballTalk.

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http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap200000 ... ay-mishaps

To the writers....boo, fu@kin hoo....

Lynch doesn't owe the media a freaking thing. He has already given them plenty to talk about with actions on the field. They have been milking skittles, beastmode and then beastquake for years now.

It's hard to even take these people serious anymore with the canned questions, the questions like "Hey coach is this a must win game?" and top all that off with at least one soft light interview showing the softer side of a player, his struggles growing up, the adult that helped make it all happen with canned football questions like "how are you going to feel if you break some random record" intertwined.

I would much rather have all the Seahawks in NY studying film today instead of putting up with the media.

Journalists, even our own Rob, are extremely threatened by guys like Marshawn. Beat reporters exist on quotes and rumors. People who don't talk contribute to neither. They would rather have 45 minutes of cliche crap than nothing. Lets be totally honest, sports reporters exist on the same level as entertainment reporters and a small step above papparazzi. Journalistic integrity in the sports world died a long time ago.

However, after the rancor from the media after last weeks Sherman debacle, no way was Lynch going to be open. And when that female reporter opened yesterday by shoving a mike in his face and yelling in his face that he has to answer their questions now, he has no choice, you could see him get immediately pissed. I would too. Marshawn is nobodies organ grinder monkey. When the other reporter makes a big deal of announcing immediately that it took less than 6 minutes to shut Marshawn up, he is full of satisfaction, you can see it in his weasley face.

Let's add a little more to that. When an ex jock like Sanders who never studied journalism rides his slick tongue and locker room cred among players to get access a degreed journalist never could, it pisses them off. They are all screaming questions like little baby birds hoping momma bird shoves a little bit of worm down THEIR throats by answering THEIR question from the din of reporters, and Prime walks where he wants, to who he wants, asks what he wants like some father figure, and the players give him instant attention. You could see it on their faces, they hate it. 2 hours of jockeying for position, yelling questions, hoping like hell they are the guy or gal who gets the Jeremy Stevens quote that drives convo for days, and Sanders destroys them with a minute 40 of really inane questions that Lynch answers straight Oakland.

And so, CBS, ESPN, FOX, and Yahoo Sports all run negative stories about Lynch because of professional jealousy between brands and the threat he poses to their parasitic job status. While an untrained ex jock wins the day by asking one real question about the Broncos thinking they can win if they stop Lynch.

MidwestHawker":1ajimrjq said:

It's pretty sad and pathetic that journalists even have a unified "side," a side that all bands together like the mafia to try to bully their way into getting what they want.

They're a bunch of jackals and very few operate with any sense of integrity. It's lovely that anyone would want to defend such a group.

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Look up the word mafia in the dictionary. I don't recall John Clayton having someone "silenced" for refusing to do an interview.

99% of journo's are good, honest, hard working individuals just trying to earn a living like anyone else. And they don't deserve to be treated like crap, whether they're talking to Lynch, Kaepernick or any other multi millionaire who doesn't feel like answering basic questions about a football game.

Lynch can do what he wants for all I care. If he doesn't want to talk to the media, that's his choice and decision.

But he and therefore we have to respect that the media have every right to call him out as a consequence.

If he didn't want this noise, he should've just answered the questions like the other 100+ players at media day.

Scottemojo":1ajimrjq said:

Journalists, even our own Rob, are extremely threatened by guys like Marshawn.

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Not threatened at all Scotte. The ones who don't want to talk, their choice. No skin off my nose.

What I don't get is everyone calling out the media for criticising anyone who decides to act like Lynch did yesterday.

It's as much their right to do that as it is for Lynch to ignore honest, humble questions.

theENGLISHseahawk":zhnhy7qq said:

Look up the word mafia in the dictionary. I don't recall John Clayton having someone "silenced" for refusing to do an interview.

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...your reply is to try to prove that they don't meet the literal definition of mafia? Okay, point conceded since it was obvious hyperbole.

The analogy is still correct though. The media plays fast and loose with the reputations of people they cover. They won't have people "silenced," but they will have them defamed, and all under the strong protections of the First Amendment and the judicial standard for defamation for public figures that basically makes it functionally impossible for a journalist to ever get their comeuppance for defaming a public figure.

Unfortunately, a public that either doesn't have time to research things for themselves, or simply doesn't care to, will largely lap up whatever the media gives them.

You imply that Marshawn treated the media like crap, when in fact the reaction across sports radio in Seattle yesterday was "LOL, well that's just Marshawn, he's never really been rude when approached for an interview." If he actually acted badly toward them then that would be a different story and my reaction may be entirely different. I realize the likely counter-argument is that cutting his appearance short IS acting badly, a reaction that can only come from a sense of entitlement that I don't agree with.

99% of journo's are good, honest, hard working individuals just trying to earn a living like anyone else. And they don't deserve to be treated like crap, whether they're talking to Lynch, Kaepernick or any other multi millionaire who doesn't feel like answering basic questions about a football game.

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I call BS on this.

30 years ago maybe before the Reagan law was passed concerning journalism and that you had to be factual, now everythng is a editorial and sensationalism, Journalist ? how many beat the turf to find a story? Many just Google and scrape up things that others do and spin their own thoughts on it, it's not fact or even accurate. How many times have we seen stuff reported about the Seahawks that is so outlandish and opinionated that it should have been flushed rather then taken up bandwidth or ink.

How far would these tactics used today go with Larry Csonka, Jim Brown or John Riggens, none were really media freindly. All had quirky personalities.

chris98251":1b2ukyk6 said:

99% of journo's are good, honest, hard working individuals just trying to earn a living like anyone else. And they don't deserve to be treated like crap, whether they're talking to Lynch, Kaepernick or any other multi millionaire who doesn't feel like answering basic questions about a football game.

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I call BS on this.

30 years ago maybe before the Reagan law was passed concerning journalism and that you had to be factual, now everythng is a editorial and sensationalism, Journalist ? how many beat the turf to find a story? Many just Google and scrape up things that others do and spin their own thoughts on it, it's not fact or even accurate. How many times have we seen stuff reported about the Seahawks that is so outlandish and opinionated that it should have been flushed rather then taken up bandwidth or ink.

How far would these tactics used today go with Larry Csonka, Jim Brown or John Riggens, none were really media freindly. All had quirky personalities.

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Call BS then.

And then consider those who cover this team week in and week out.

Those who used to, like Sando, Clare Farnsworth and Eric Williams.

And the equivalent beat writers all around the country.

You'll soon realise for every 'sensationalist' journalist out there who shouts the loudest, there's 100's if not 1000's of good, decent, honest people just trying to give fans a link to their team and earn a living.

theENGLISHseahawk":3moalzfx said:

But he and therefore we have to respect that the media have every right to call him out as a consequence.

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Why? Why does he have to answer their questions or face attacks? He chooses to be silent, so they have the right to try and destroy his image?

Utter BS

there are a very few talented sports reporters. I think as a group they have become chippy with the knowledge that a good bit of sports fans could do their job. We have several posters on this board alone who regularly contribute entertaining and informative pieces better than you would find in most publications. I'd say as a sports "personality" that John Clayton is probably a bit worried. He is no more talented than Samantha Ponder, Melissa Stark, or Erin Andrews and no where near as attractive to look at.

Marshawn is a big boy playing in the Super Bowl with a huge contract and a new Lamborghini. He knew he'd take a little heat for this, I'm sure he's not losing any sleep over it.