TORONTO — Marshawn Lynch is as big a presence in retirement as he was on the field.
The Oakland, Calif., native, who starred in 11 seasons as a running back in the NFL, is as well known for his larger-than-life personality as he is for being a five-time Pro Bowler. Lynch was famously nicknamed "Beast Mode" for his prowess on the gridiron, but the former Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders player has transitioned to post-NFL life seemingly without effort.
An ambassador for DAZN, Lynch has spread his wings in his post-playing life. As part of his tour to tout DAZN as the home of football in Canada — the streaming platform features every NFL game and NFL RedZone, plus Premier League, Champions League and Serie A soccer — Lynch appropriately rolled up in a car full of Skittles.
Marshawn Lynch really loves his Skittles 🤣 pic.twitter.com/AHT6NFrOmA
— Sporting News (@sportingnews) September 6, 2019
The Super Bowl champion will have a role in the upcoming season of the popular HBO series Westworld, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him pop up elsewhere on the big or small screen.
Sporting News caught up with the 33-year-old in a brief but enlightening phone conversation as Lynch touched on his hometown Raiders, current Seahawks running back Chris Carson and more.
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(Editor's note: The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.)
SPORTING NEWS: How did you decide on your role in the NFL's 100-Year Game commercial?
MARSHAWN LYNCH: I think they had a good producer with a good mindset because if you notice in that commercial everybody was like dressed in like suits and s— and I think I had on a sweatsuit and a beanie. I believe that they kinda just wanted me to be me and do some s— that they thought I would do, which actually turned out into doing some s— that I wouldn't do. And the cake was good as f—, by the way.
SN: Do you think Chris Carson could emulate Beast Mode in Seattle?
ML: I think he's his own man. I think he brings something to the team that I couldn't bring even if I tried to, which is Chris. I don't think he's trying to imitate anything that I've done or anything like that, I think he's just gonna be himself and bring what he's got to the table.
SN: How will the Raiders leaving for Las Vegas affect Oakland?
ML: To be honest with you, it's going to be a tough pill to swallow for the town but I mean, s—, we have a few months to figure it out. Hopefully whatever plan or whatever situation they had going on for why they couldn't make it work, I hope it shows they should've made it work. But I mean at this point there ain't nothing that you could do now, so I guess you've just gotta start to prepare for life without them.
MORE: Marshawn Lynch tells Pat McAfee that Pete Carroll didn't take accountability for Super Bowl 49 loss
SN: Speaking of life without the NFL, what's your favourite part of no longer playing?
ML: Not having to wake up in the morning.
SN: You're doing other things with your time now. Did I see that right that you're going to be on Westworld?
ML: Yeah, and that keeps me up all night, so s— I might return from acting before I even start. (laughs)
'Westworld' creators reveal new characters, including Marshawn Lynch, are living in a future L.A. https://t.co/LtqQYB7AtX pic.twitter.com/m3tHgNzvJ5
— SFGate (@SFGate) July 17, 2019
SN: Are you doing any other acting? Some comedic stuff?
ML: I don't know. I've been doing some funny s— on my own so I don't know. We'll see what's up, though.
SN: Is comedy tougher to do than drama? You said Westworld kept you up all night.
ML: To be honest, they're pretty much the same to me. I'm saying Westworld keeps you up late because of the hours that you need in order to be able to film, not because I'm stressing over nothing.