Marshawn Lynch Has An Issue You Should Know About

by Skeller on Jun 4, 2008 1:36 PM EDT in Football

Bills’ fantasy stud running back Marshawn Lynch is in hot water after his car was identified as hitting a pedestrian in a hit-and-run accident over the weekend. The police aren’t saying if Lynch was driving or even in the car but they’d like to ask him some questions. The problem is, Lynch doesn’t want to talk to the police.

Buffalo Police Department spokesman Mike DeGeorge suggested Tuesday that Lynch could face an obstruction of justice charge if he doesn't cooperate. He said Lynch's lawyer finally contacted investigators on Monday, but a meeting has not been set.

"Right now, the ball is in their court. The clock would be ticking," DeGeorge said during a news conference. "Police have made it clear to Mr. Lynch's representative that they would like some answers, expect some answers and if they don't start getting some answers then they could take some other action."

Lynch took part in the Bills' voluntary practice Tuesday morning after arriving about 10 minutes late. Afterward, he avoided reporters.

The Bills distributed a statement from Lynch's lawyer, Michael Caffery, in which he declined comment and added he instructed his client also not to say anything.

This isn’t good. The police impounded the car after it was found near Lynch’s home, so they might already have proof that it was the car involved. If Lynch had nothing to do with this you would think he would’ve come forward already with his lawyer and answered questions. I can’t imagine what he would’ve said ("Mr. Lynch, did you let somebody else borrow your car?" "Yes" "Who?" "I don’t know") but at least it would take the heat off. Right now he’s actively avoiding the police.

His lawyer’s reaction also worries me. The expected lawyer response would be something along the lines of "This has all been a misunderstanding and Mr. Lynch wants to clear it up as soon as possible." Instead the guy says "no comment" and by the way shut up.

This may just simmer in the background for a while, but if it goes on too long it will start to reduce Lynch’s fantasy value. Being a suspect in a hit and run is bad enough, intentionally blowing off the police is another thing altogether. The Commissioner doesn’t like the PR hit that brings to the league.

Watch how this progresses and don’t forget about rookie RB Xavier Omon (and remember you heard it here first ).

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The latest rumors on Lynch – and they are just rumors – claim that Lynch was seen in the area where the pedestrian was hit, and the vehicle was actually found by police in Lynch’s driveway post-incident. The woman who was hit was able to call and make it to an ambulance under her own power; she reportedly needed 7 stitches. It’s good to hear her injuries were relatively minor.

It’s hard not to believe that Lynch wasn’t the driver, based solely on his post-incident behavior and that of his lawyer as well. Lynch has been practicing with the team, but clearly if he’s charged and found guilty, he could face up to a year in jail. This is a misdemeanor, but even if Lynch accepts a plea deal and avoids jail time (again, provided he was the driver – innocent until proven guilty), it’s very possible that Roger Goodell hands him a suspension.

Regardless of Lynch’s outcome, I’ll re-iterate a comment I left on your Xavier Omon post linked above – if Lynch misses time for this, Fred Jackson gets the starting duty. Omon might hawk goal line cases IF he can beat out Dwayne Wright for the #3 RB job, and IF Jackson doesn’t look good in those situations himself.

by Brian Galliford on Jun 4, 2008 7:40 PM EDT reply actions