Marshawn Lynch may have moved on from the NFL, but that doesn't mean he's done with football.
The retired running back has co-founded and is set to co-own the Oakland Panthers, a new professional arena football team set to debut as a member of the Indoor Football League in the spring.
According to The Mercury News, there will be a press conference Tuesday to announce the team name, appoint Kurt Bryan as head coach and introduce the ownership group.
Lynch credits his brother Davonte Sapp-Lynch, who plays in the IFL, for connecting him with Panthers co-owner Roy Choi and team president Scott McKibben earlier this year.
“Yeah, I went to go check my brother out and I kind of ran into them after the game,” Lynch said. “I had a good-a— time while I was at the game. When they said ‘We’re going to bring a team to Oakland,' I didn’t really believe that.”
With the Warriors moving to the Chase Center in San Francisco and the Raiders leaving for Las Vegas in 2020, the Panthers are set to take over the former Oracle Arena, now called the Oakland Arena, in an effort to keep professional football in the Bay Area.
“This is a given. I’m in with this,” Lynch said. “The (Raiders) will be leaving, but the fans will be here. This is a good opportunity and a good timing to where you will still have those fans, that community, and the pride they bring.”
Lynch, who retired from the NFL for a second time after last season, said he will approach the opportunity as a chance to create a lasting legacy in Oakland since he was unable to leave one with the Raiders.
“My whole intention was to come back and play with them until they left,” Lynch said. “(Arena football) wasn’t something I was looking at — not even a little bit. But when the opportunity presented itself — I’m a big dude on believing in timing and (stuff). This, at the time, really made sense.”