Seahawks' Lynch blasts Super Bowl reporters with rant

[January 30, 2015]  By Steve Keating
 
 (Reuters) - Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, whose preference not to talk to the media has cost him plenty in fines, finally opened up on Thursday as he blasted reporters for continuing to badger him.

In his final mandated media session ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl, Lynch launched into a rant to the assembled media at the team's hotel but did not answer any questions.

"I'll come to y'alls event. Y'all shove cameras and microphones down my throat. But when I'm at home in my environment, I don't see y'all, but y'all are mad at me," Lynch said.

"And if you ain't mad at me, then what y'all here for? I ain't got nothing for y'all, though. I told y'all that. Y'all should know that. But y'all will sit here like right now and continue to do the same thing."

Lynch, who shuns the media the same way he avoids tacklers, made headlines earlier this week when he replied "I'm here so I won't get fined" to every question during a five-minute session with reporters on Super Bowl Media Day.

While the Seahawks are willing to tolerate Lynch's silent treatment of the media the NFL has shown it does not take a similar view.

Twice before Lynch has been fined $50,000 for refusing to speak to reporters and was fined another $20,000 for making an obscene gesture after scoring a touchdown in the Seahawks' NFC championship game win over Green Bay Packers.

"I'm here preparing for a game," Lynch continued. "And y'all want to ask me these questions, which is understandable. I could get down with that. But I told y'all. I'm not about to say nothing.

"So for the reminder of my, what's that, three minutes? Because I'm here I'm available for y'all. I'm here, I'm available for y'all. I talked. All of my requirements are fulfilled. For the next 3 minutes, I'll just be looking at y'all the way that y'all looking at me. Thank you."

(Editing by Frank Pingue)

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