Rachel Wold
Seattle Seahawks fans have had enough of of their beloved running back Marshawn Lynch being bullied by the NFL as it pertains to the league’s media policy. Lynch’s unwillingness to engage in meaningful public interviews has been a point of contention in recent years. He was also forced to pay a $100,000 fine for not speaking to the media after November game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Lynch unsuccessfully appealed the fine.
Therefore, an anti-bullying petition has been created by Wendi Bromlie (aka 12), and it has already gathered over 27,000 signatures signatures.
It reads like this…
“Enough is enough! Stop bullying Beast Mode!”
As a 12, I am calling on the NFL to revise its media policy so that all players are given equal and fair rights as a human being without fear of financial intimidation.
As a fan, I have witnessed enough harassment and undeserving consequences regarding Marshawn Lynch due to his very obvious anxiety interacting with the media. I feel, and many agree, that what you are doing is wrong. You advocate against bullying and domestic violence, but force your players into uncomfortable situations? With a fine attached? There are other players willing to talk to the media and it should be a personal choice.
Your rules state “Reasonable cooperation with the news media is essential to the continuing popularity of our game and its players and coaches.” I don’t feel your rules are reasonable as they read currently, considering the only benefit “popularity” wise the NFL gets by bullying Marshawn is money out of his paycheck. This is not ok. And it needs to change because its unnecessary and cruel, as well as hypocritical.
Lynch’s lack of speech at media events has been a controversial subject. Trying to appease with the bare minimum, Lynch has been know to utter phrases like “I’m thankful”, “thanks for asking”, or “yeah.”
Lynch’s fans definitely show big hearts in their efforts to have the NFL reverse or revise its media policy. Whether anything serious actually comes from this remains to be seen. All we know is if the Seahawks win the next two games, and Lynch remains virtually silent, he may find himself forking over a few more hefty fines. He will also have a bit more bling to show for it.
