Nov. 26--Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has been criticized for the way he talks -- or doesn't talk -- to the media, a practice that recently cost him $100,000 in NFL fines.
On Tuesday, two of his teammates, wide receiver Doug Baldwin and cornerback Richard Sherman, took a turn at critiquing the league's policies in a mock news conference at the Seahawks facility.
"You know the other day, Marshawn Lynch got fined $100,000," Sherman said, via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "Did you know that? They wouldn't have paid him $100,000 if he had talked. Doug, do you think they would have paid him?"
Baldwin, hiding behind a cardboard cutout of himself responded: "No, they sure would not."
The pair went on to name-drop several of their sponsors, which do pay the players, before getting in a few more digs at the league.
"It seems like we're in a league where they say: 'Players, you know, you don't endorse any alcohol. Please don't endorse alcohol; no DUIs please.' But yet, a beer sponsor is their biggest sponsor!" Sherman said. "Doug, how do you feel about that?"
"Like I said: Sounds very hypocritical," Baldwin answered.
Sherman and Baldwin then took aim at player-safety issues.
"Speaking of health, how do you feel about the NFL making me play two games in five days?" Baldwin asked.
Sherman, feigning surprise: "Oh my God! Jeez! I almost didn't realize that, because they've been talking about player safety so much. And it's like, two games in five days doesn't seem like you care about player safety. It's a little bit much for me."
"It's fun. It's fun to use your time in the NFL to speak about something you care about, right? Right? Because then you don't get fined $100,000," Sherman continued. "You don't get fined at all for this. This is how they want us to talk, right? This is what they want us to do: They want us to advertise, right Doug?"
