A month after the Seattle Seahawks came up one yard short in Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots, running back Marshawn Lynch finally discussed the topic of not getting the ball on the game’s deciding play — a Russell Wilson pass intended for wide receiver Ricardo Lockette that was intercepted by the Patriots Malcolm Butler.
And Lynch being Lynch, his first in depth discussion of the play happened on Turkish television, part of a long interview that also included Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams and Cleveland tight end Gary Barnidge.
All three NFL players are in Istanbul as part of a camp being put on by American Football Without Barriers, a non-profit Barnidge started with former Seahawks tackle Breno Giacomini, who now plays for the Jets.
The reporter conducting the interview cleverly begins the Super Bowl question by saying, “If I don’t ask this, I would get fined.”
Lynch said he was surprised not to get the call on second-and-goal from the 1-yard line, and didn’t exactly go out of his way to put to rest any conspiracy theory about why he didn’t get the ball.
Though again, if the Seahawks really were willing to risk their best shot at a title because they were worried about who got the glory — a pretty far-fetched idea to begin with — then why did they give the ball to Lynch on the previous play, knowing there was a decent shot of him scoring from five yards out?
Also, while Lynch might not know this, Super Bowl MVP ballots were turned in before that final drive began, so him getting the ball or not wouldn’t have made a difference in deciding the award.
“To be honest with you, I would be a liar if I didn’t tell you that I was expecting the ball,” Lynch told NTV SPOR’da. “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. 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 if 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. I don’t know what went into that call. 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 confidence in my teammates to execute that plan because we’ve done it so many more times. But would I have loved to have the ball there? Yeah, I would have. I would have. But the game is over, and I’m in Turkey.”
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