The regular season is still a few weeks away, but we've already got our first Marshawn Lynch "not talking to the media" headline. Lynch has a hearing scheduled for Thursday to appeal a $75,000 fine imposed on him by the NFL for not speaking to the media following the NFC Championship last January, per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.
However, Lynch will not appeal his other fine from the NFC title game. He was given a $20,000 fine for making an obscene gesture after scoring a touchdown against the Packers. At the time, ESPN's Adam Schefter indicated that there might be additional fines because he didn't fulfill his postgame media responsibilities, but none were ever revealed, until this week.
The Seahawks running back has a long history of not cooperating with the media and has paid his dues for violating the NFL's rulebook. He was fined $50,000 last season for not speaking to reporters after a Week 11 loss to the Chiefs and an additional $50,000 relating to a prior instance when he failed to meet his media requirements in 2013.
His most public antics with the press, though, came two weeks after the NFC Championship. At Super Bowl Media Day, Lynch repeated the now infamous phrase "I'm just here so I won't get fined." He proved prophetic -- he, in fact, did not get fined for that behavior.
In case you are now thoroughly confused about all of Lynch's fines and violations, here's a handy chart courtesy of spotrac.com to help you understand the world of Beast Mode.
Marshawn Lynch fines with Seahawks
Date | Reason | Fine |
1/22/2015 | Refusing to speak to the media after NFC title game | $75,000 |
1/22/2015 | Inappropriate gesture against Green Bay | $20,000 |
12/26/2014 | Inappropriate gesture against Arizona | $11,050 |
11/19/2014 | Refusing to speak to the media after a game in 2014 and in 2013 | $100,000 |
10/5/2013 | Uniform violation (green shoes) | $5,250 |
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