Marshawn Lynch won’t want to channel Michael Jackson at this year’s Super Bowl.
The NFL has reportedly warned the Seattle Seahawks running back that if he grabs his crotch again, his team will be hit with a 15-yard penalty . Lynch has been known for making the obscene gesture after touchdown scores, but NFL vice president of officiating, Dean Blandino, told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio that the Seahawks have been warned not to let it happen again.
If Marshawn Lynch grabs his crotch after a score again, “that means they will kick off from the 20 yard line,” Blandino said.
Lynch made another crotch grab after scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the NFC Championship Game last week, but officials did not see it. Had he been caught, it would have meant a 15-yard penalty against the Seahawks with less than two minutes left in the game.
Lynch has gotten in trouble for his crotch grabs before, though not on the field itself. He was smacked with a $11,050 fine in the team’s 35-6 win over the Arizona Cardinals this season. After Lynch broke through for a 79 yard touchdown, the longest of his career, he jumped into the air and then turned to face the other players, grabbing his crotch in the process. He was not flagged on the play, but later got a call from the NFL that he would have to pay.
Lynch got in some other trouble with the league this season. Earlier in the year he was fined $100,000 for not being available to speak to the media, prompting him to issue bizarre one-word answers to reporters after that.
The trouble led to reports that the Seattle Seahawks may be parting ways with Lynch after the season, even if they end up winning a Super Bowl with him. Though Lynch is 28, which is on the older side for a running back, he was still very effective in 2014, rushing for 1,306 yards.
The Seattle Seahawks have already taken steps to make sure the crotch grabs won’t happen again. Coach Pete Carroll has reportedly told Marshawn Lynch that he will absolutely not do it in the Super Bowl.
[Photo courtesy of NBC ]