Doug Baldwin: NFL ‘Ridiculous’ To Make Marshawn Lynch Speak To Media

First, the prevailing storyline from Super Bowl week was Richard Sherman’s talk. Now, the focus has shifted to Marshawn Lynch’s lack of talk.

Lynch, who avoids media availability like the plague, finally relented and granted two very brief sessions with reporters (“I’m just here so I won’t get fined,” he said at his second one). But Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin says his teammate should not be required to speak to reporters at all if he doesn’t want to.

“What is there to get? He doesn’t like talking to the media,” Baldwin said, via Pro Football Talk. “That’s not what he’s about. I think it’s ridiculous that the NFL forces him to do that. They’ve threatened fines. They’ve threatened suspensions that if he didn’t talk to the media, they were going to come down with harsh punishment. I don’t get it. You get fined for talking too much, you get fined for not talking at all. I don’t think he’s misunderstood — that’s just who he is. There’s nothing to misunderstand. He’s the most up-front and blunt person about who he is, so I don’t think there’s much to misunderstand.”

Lynch’s surly public demeanor has led to some claims that he is a selfish player, which Baldwin said couldn’t be further from the truth.

“He’s a very caring person,” Baldwin said. “He’s compassionate about his teammates. He’s always looking out for his teammates, and it doesn’t matter what it is. He’s a big, caring guy. He’s not fake. He’s very blunt and honest about who he is. He doesn’t hesitate to voice his opinion about something to his teammates. A lot of respect is given to him because he’s that way.”

Luckily for Lynch, Thursday is the final day players are required to speak to the media, giving  the running back two full days of peace to prepare for the Super Bowl.