RENTON, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks workhorse running back Marshawn Lynch is a man of few words who usually lets his action do the talking.
And so it was not surprising when his interview with the media Tuesday began with a series of short answers, mostly one word at a time.
How was offseason?
“It was good,” he said.
How does offense look?
“Explosive,” Lynch replied.
And so it went until he was asked about his foundation, The Fam 1st Family Foundation, which, according to its web site, is “dedicated to uplifting and empowering youth in the Bay Area and throughout the United States. The foundation’s mission is one of empowerment and education, aiming to build self-esteem and academic learning skills in underprivileged youth.”
Lynch knows the subject all too well. He grew up in a tough Oakland (Calif.) neighborhood with three siblings and reportedly rarely saw his father. But Lynch rarely mentions that — or anything for that matter. Instead, he let his action to the talking, rushing for 7,389 yards and scoring 82 touchdowns in seven NFL seasons, the last three with the Seahawks.
He has referred to himself being in “beast mode” during games, and that nickname was adopted to describe the Seahawks’ smash-mouth style of offense as they won the Super Bowl last season. But even at the Super Bowl, Lynch was so disinclined to speak that his press conferences became uncomfortable.
But Tuesday he was apparently very comfortable talking about something that obviously matters to him, the foundation he started in 2006 with 49ers quarterback Josh Johnson, who also grew up in Oakland
“It gives inner-city youth an opportunity,” Lynch said.
“A lot of kids that came from my foundation, with our camp, I played against one of them in the NFL and there’s a number of them in Division I. There’s a couple of them up here that go to (the University of Washington), Oregon State, got some that go to Central Washington and a number of schools all over the nation..”
And the usually quiet Lynch was not nearly done talking.
“We’ve seen some good turn-outs from the kids that have been coming. I’ve had kids from Barbados, I’ve had kids come from Turks & Caicos, I’ve had kids come from Canada, so I think if they’re able to make out I’m not turning down any kids.”
The foundation held its eighth annual football camp in July and Lynch recalled one child in particular who attended.
“This year, I had a kid that came to my camp that told me he was committing suicide by coming to my camp because of the area that it was in, and by him coming he felt like it was putting his life in danger, but he said he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to come out there and be a part of it,” Lynch said.
“Even with kids feeling like it’s a life-threatening situation but to be out there to experience that they wouldn’t turn it down for nothing. That’s a pretty big accomplishment, being able to talk to that young man and help him through his little situation was big for me. I don’t think that’s something you go around boasting and bragging about, but that’s something that touched me dearly.”