Marshawn Lynch: The Contract Talk That Almost Got Physical, Retiring & “7 Car Crashes” a Game

Marshawn Lynch pulls up on Andre Ward for a sit-down between two guys from the same soil. North Oakland, Oakland Tech, and a whole lot of people who knew them before anyone else did. Marshawn gets into how he kept his family together through the fame when so many athletes lose theirs, the Seahawks contract talk in a locker room that got so heated he nearly put hands on his GM, and the lesson it taught him about leverage that he still uses on every deal. Then it’s Beast Mode. The coaches who told a kid at Oakland Tech he was training for the league, the shoulder-pad sensors that clocked a single game at seven total car crashes, why he still can’t tell you what he was thinking on the Beast Quake run, and the 31 straight days of Seattle rain that welcomed him to the city that became home. He talks about Mama Lynch and the village that raised him, the day his mom refused to put him on medication, and walking away from football at Super Bowl 50 without telling his agent. And he opens up about his father like he never has: the driving lesson his dad never showed up for, seven years without seeing him, and the call that came the day he was supposed to fly home and visit. Weeks before that call, Dre had met his father in person. They close on what every athlete needs to take care of on the way out, and on lifting up Chris Johnson following his diagnosis. 0:00 Intro 1:15 Staying Grounded and Keeping Family Close Through Fame 7:44 Never Buying Into the Fame 10:44 The First Contract Blowup and Stacking Leverage 17:25 Negotiating Under Pressure (Lessons From the Fight Game) 21:16 How a $10K Shoot Turns Into $25K 25:17 Giving Back and Turning Resources Into Income 27:41 The Media Narrative and Proving Them Wrong 30:12 Ad Break 32:32 Oakland Tech and Where “Beast Mode” Came From 38:02 The Running Back Mindset: Getting Through All 11 40:32 Seven Car Crashes a Game 42:42 The Stiff Arm, the Geometry, and the Beast Quake 48:44 Winning Over the 12s and Seattle 55:34 Mama Lynch and the Village 1:01:43 Growing Up Without His Dad 1:08:37 Seeing His Father Again 1:11:55 The Call, the Six-Hour Walk, and No Resentment 1:18:41 The Memories He Does Have 1:26:42 Why the Community Needs Fathers and Mentors 1:31:42 When Family Can’t Grow With You 1:43:31 Retiring at Super Bowl 50 and Life After Football 1:51:42 Body, Mind, and Money 1:57:57 Chris Johnson and the Message to Young Athletes 2:05:16 Getting Proactive About Your Health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices