Marshawn Lynch says a few words to Las Vegas Bowl lunch crowd
One of the criteria for being elected into the Las Vegas Bowl Hall of Fame is that you have to attend the Kickoff Luncheon the day before the game, and you have to say a few words to the audience.
The local bowl committee figured Marshawn Lynch would cite the last part in disqualifying himself.
But in something of a major upset, he not only attended Friday’s luncheon at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel but also gave a speech.
A brief speech.
Lynch, who went “Beast Mode” on Brigham Young before that was part of the football vernacular, rushing for 194 yards and three touchdowns during California’s 35-28 victory in the 2005 Las Vegas Bowl, struck a few Beast Mode poses upon being introduced.
The reticent running back made headlines before Super Bowl XLIX when he was a star for the Seattle Seahawks, telling the press corps on media day, “I’m here so I won’t get fined,” after every question.
There was speculation among Las Vegas Bowl media that Lynch might step to the podium and say “I’m here for the free lunch” and leave it at that.
But this is what he said after striking those Beast Mode poses:
“This is something different for me. This ain’t somethin’ I was expecting, going into the Hall of Fame. This is something I was looking for down the road. But I appreciate it, thank you Las Vegas Bowl, and good luck to both teams.”
He saluted the crowd by putting his arms in the air, mentioned something about y’all winning a bet, said he appreciated it again before leaving the stage.
The bet apparently was among bowl game officials about how long his speech would last.
It lasted 32 seconds.
Broadcast legend Brett Musburger, who joined Lynch and Las Vegas Bowl pioneer Rob Dondero in forming the second Hall of Fame class, acknowledged Lynch and flashed a big smile.
The consensus in the media section was that the total had been set at 30 seconds, and that Musburger had the over.
Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.
