Sherman and Baldwin Can be Crazy Sometimes

[Hawks46]

Man, Sherman is slick. Smart too.

He brings up a very valid point and does it with humor. I'm glad most of the media took it with good humor.

 

[kidhawk]

I just like to see that the facts are posted, and to say that he only needs to talk to the Seattle media and only once per year is not even close to fact

Provide the facts to me then. I mean, if you're going to lecture me on getting my facts right -- what is the exact policy?

The issue here is Lynch has not done an organised press conference. This can be -- believe me -- a small gathering of press post game in the locker room as we saw on Sunday. Lynch has not done this. After every game he refuses. That is the issue.

Don't want to speak after the game? Speak pre-game instead. I'm sure they could arrange that to not be on the podium at the VMAC. Perhaps a more comfortable setting?

Lynch has only spoken to direct members of the media on the phone one-to-one (eg Mike Silver). That is not what the policy asks. He needs to be made available for a general Q&A. And as far as I'm aware that could be just the few gathered locals after one of the games.

Do you mean like the time he spoke to the media after the Oakland game, which I linked to you in my reply?

The one with just those "few local beat writers" around his locker you were talking about?

Ok I checked the actual rule.

A player must be made available at least once upon request during the practise week.

So my mistake -- a quick conversation after the game following the Oakland win was not enough. One quick conversation with the same local writers between Monday-Friday would've been enough to avoid the fine.

And yes, it can just be the local writers or 'regulars'. The rule stipulates: "Star players, or other players with unusually heavy media demands, must be available to the media that regularly cover their teams at least once during the practice week".

Why do you care so much? I'm not trying to start an argument, just asking an honest question. Why do you care?

I'm just joining in the conversation man. As I said, I don't expect any support for my opinion. But this is what we're talking about and I'm having my two cents.

That is a portion of the rule. Here's the actual rules and yes that's plural, because it's not as simple as you like to make it out to be

[urltargetblank]http://www.profootballwriters.org/nfl-media-policy/[/urltargetblank]

Players must be available to the media following every game and regularly during the practice week as required under league rules and their contracts and as noted above. It is not permissible for any player or any group of players to boycott the media. Star players, or other players with unusually heavy media demands, must be available to the media that regularly cover their teams at least once during the practice week in addition to their required post-game media availability

 

[pehawk]

Brilliant satire by the Stanford contingent.

What's amazing is you often hear criticisms of selfish players, me guys, divas, but the antithesis of this is Lynch. Yet, it's a lightening rod?

IMO, Lynch should get a medical waiver exempting him from interviews. Much like Ricky Williams, I get an anxiety order vibe from Lynch. It's pretty obvious. Not sure how or why the media chooses to ignore that, and feign disrespect.

 

[SnoCoHawk]

English, there's a big difference between once a year and once a week (or twice a week, since he's certainly a star player). There's also a difference between "a few local beat writers" versus star players being required to be available to anyone that regularly covers his team. That could mean national media, foreign media...basically any sports reporter.

Yes, I can see that it's a relatively small thing that he has to do and he could easily cover it with the Russell Wilson script of "They're a tough team", "Every game's a championship game" and all the other pap that the reporters seem to want to hear repeated ad nauseum every week, but Marshawn clearly hates it to a degree that most people can't comprehend. I feel really bad for him - he sometimes looks like he's on the verge of a panic attack when he's surrounded by press. I wish they would just leave him alone, but instead they're like piranhas.

 

[volsunghawk]

All this protesting about Marshawn Lynch wouldn't be needed if Marshawn Lynch just did one five minute chat with the local beat writers once a season.

Just saying.

It's pointing out a ridiculous policy. The man doesn't want to talk, don't make him freaking talk. There are 52 other guys on the team and I bet the majority would love to do an interview.

Fining him 100K for that is absolutely ridiculous.

But if you take away the policy, where does it stop?

Ideally, with the sports media simply writing about the games themselves and letting the players just do their thing on the field. And if a player wants to talk with the media to offer some in-depth insight about a game, then it can be their prerogative instead of the default. Hell, 90% of what comes out of the players' mouths is just canned garbage, anyway. Why do we need that again?

 

[LawlessHawk]

The rule stipulates: "Star players, or other players with unusually heavy media demands, must be available to the media that regularly cover their teams at least once during the practice week".

There ya go. It's an NFL policy, as we all know. The thing I (as well as others) find quite funny is all the ML soapbox bashers that keep trying to drive home that it is in his contract that he needs to speak to the media :34853_doh: :192215: Show us your personal copy of his contract...

 

[XxXdragonXxX]

What Sherm....no mention of the disproportionate fines when it comes to the leagues emphasis on safety compared to not doing a stupid interview, or wearing the wrong colored socks? 5-10k for a headshot, 100k for not talking to the media?

 

[seedhawk]

Actually, Lynch should just take a page from most of our politicians, go to the podium, listen to the first question, then respond, I have no comment on this, or any other matter. Thank you for you're time. Walk away.

 

[Blitzhawk]

Pure awesomeness. My only critique would be ADB should have had a cardboard cutout of Lynch. Then Sherm could do most of the talking and ask cardboard Beast yes/no/maybe questions about the game.....

"Did ya think we would win the game" ....."yea"
"Did ya think that was some tough running tonight"..... "yea"
"Do you think you are going to have some good tough runs Thursday"......"yea"

and so on.

 

[NJSeahawk]

Brilliant satire by the Stanford contingent.

What's amazing is you often hear criticisms of selfish players, me guys, divas, but the antithesis of this is Lynch. Yet, it's a lightening rod?

IMO, Lynch should get a medical waiver exempting him from interviews. Much like Ricky Williams, I get an anxiety order vibe from Lynch. It's pretty obvious. Not sure how or why the media chooses to ignore that, and feign disrespect.

Been reading comments like this on several different sites. Beast seems to have some kind of disorder, or whatever the medical term is for it.

 

[uncle fester]

Most of those national writers are still in a bitch because Lynch spoke to Deion Sanders before XLVIII and not them - so they all got an earful from their editors as to why they didn't get such an exclusive. Clayton sulked about that for months afterwards on air on 710 - he was like a broken record.

It's pretty obvious if you go back through the RRR, that Lynch was happily talking to Mike Rob on camera for a while, saw himself stumble over the words 'Real Rob Report' whilst holding Mike's microphone - and then shut the hell up from that point onwards. You have to go back pretty far, but it's there.

Is that against the NFL obligation rules? Probably. But it's not a stretch to think he's avoiding the media in case he stumbles again, but in front of a much larger audience.

 

[Reaneypark]

I loved it. Just a couple of nuts being screwballs having a good time goring a few sacred cows.

It's great, I love how they have Lynch's back, too!

 

[MidwestHawker]

And what even more hilarious is how the local media is getting bent out of shape. Especially the Groz, calling it "chump" :roll:

Yeah, coming from the most overrated man on radio. Geez, when did the world become so sensitive all the sudden? They were having fun, oh the horror :roll:

Laughable that Groz would say that, but that's the quality I expect from him. I'd always like to keep 710 on all day, but my hand is forced and I have to flip it to KJR after Grey goes off the air. Glad to hear I've been choosing well.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

You certainly have. Groz is just brutal. And he loves to pick against the Hawks seemingly every week. And when he gives his "expert opinion" he always has this tone as if what he's saying is gospel. :roll:
And he's a Cowboys fan, nuff said.

 

[12thManNorth]

I love how NFL.com currently has absolutley no mention of it. You think that's by design ? Yup

 

[SnoCoHawk]

Sherm forgot to do a shout out to the little dude in his stomach.

 

[jammerhawk]

Maybe the league will punish Seattle with bad calls during the game?

Why should things change?

They've been screwed out of a Super Bowl, the playoffs, and this season the unevenness of the calls is a farging joke. The Cardinals game was just plain awful and Chiefs game worse.

Every game the league sends the team another apology for one or another key terrible call. The non called PI cost the team the KC game and has contributed to to taking away a lot of points. The league doesn't want Seattle to win the SB again it won't sell enough crap.

Just wait and watch, Pete's head will spin off before the end of the season as the referees don't call the opposing team's penalties even when they are deserved. In the end we may all be able to look back and see how the games are skewed or deliberately affected by poor officiating.

 

[AROS]

Brilliant satire by the Stanford contingent.IMO, Lynch should get a medical waiver exempting him from interviews. Much like Ricky Williams, I get an anxiety order vibe from Lynch. It's pretty obvious. Not sure how or why the media chooses to ignore that, and feign disrespect.

I made a comment about this during SB media week. Every indication I saw from him made me think he has a generalized anxiety disorder. I've suffered with anxiety for decades. It's not crippling on a general, social level but ask me to give a speech or any kind of talk to a group of people and I go through crippling, severe symptoms, not just the usual stress everyone feels before an interview or speech.

I can sing in front of people because it's my environment, my singing voice is power. I control that.

I very much feel Lynch has the same issues. The field is his stage, his skill is his power. He's animated and in control.

Remove him from that and have a bunch of people shoving cameras and microphones in your face asking you to speak could be where he feels he has no control and no power.

There's a video somewhere of him when Michael Robinson was speaking for him and you could see the anxiety on Lynch's face and body language. For me it was grueling to watch. Michael handled it awesomely. He made Lynch laugh and feel a bit at ease.

Any ways, that's my best guess.

 

[DavidSeven]

I'm going to resist taking a side on the Lynch debate, but I thought the press conference was funny. The cardboard cutout was a brilliant touch. I am surprised he went out on the limb on the player safety issue -- that's ballsy. But when the league fines Kaepernick $10K for wearing Beats; fines Marshawn $100K for missing interviews, but only fines Trent Williams $7K fine for punching Sherman after the 2012 playoff game, something is amiss with the league's claim of prioritizing safety.

 

[AROS]

I'm going to resist taking a side on the Lynch debate, but I thought the press conference was funny. The cardboard cutout was a brilliant touch. I am surprised he went out on the limb on the player safety issue -- that's ballsy. But when the league fines Kaepernick $10K for wearing Beats; fines Marshawn $100K for missing interviews, but only fines Trent Williams $7K fine for punching Sherman after the 2012 playoff game, something is amiss with the league's claim of prioritizing safety.

That $7K was another punch to the face to Sherman. Disgusting. He should have received a several game suspension and $25+K fine, period. The fact that the NFL fines players more for things like not talking to the media or dress code violations over a violent act caught on camera told me the system is broken. Still pissed off about that.