Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch spent the off season teaching women in Turkey to play American football

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch.

(Image credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

published 22 September 2015

Where did the Seattle Seahawks' mysterious, media-shy star running back, Marshawn Lynch, retreat to after being denied the ball on the goal line of February's Super Bowl — a play that ultimately handed a win to the New England Patriots?

Not a spa, a private island, or a tropical resort. In fact, you probably didn't see this one coming: Lynch was in Turkey with an organization called American Football Without Barriers, teaching women the mechanics of the sport.

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When one boy was distraught and nearly in tears about his performance on the field, Lynch took him off to the side for 20 minutes. Later, the boy ended up with a "Beast Mode" sweatshirt — Lynch's nickname — and returned to field, playing at full-speed. When an attendee asked the boy's father what Lynch told him, the father relayed that Lynch had given a 20-minute pep talk on how there are no losers on the practice field and that it is about learning lessons. [The Wall Street Journal]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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