Post by prossman on Mar 18, 2009 18:37:03 GMT -7
Lynch claims he gets the message this time
March 18, 2009 6:17 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
Marshawn Lynch has the fear of Goodell in him.
Lynch insisted he received NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's message loud and clear during a Tuesday afternoon meeting to discuss why the Buffalo Bills running back keeps getting into trouble with the law.
Lynch
"The message that he gave to me came through," Lynch said Wednesday in a transcript released by the Bills. "I can still feel some of the words running through my body right now as he said them in the meeting."
Lynch is facing a likely suspension after finding himself in front of the commissioner for the second time in about nine months.
Lynch said he would know how many games he will miss "in about 10 days," but NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told ESPN.com in an e-mail Wednesday afternoon that "we don't expect a decision for at least a few weeks."
Lynch was arrested Feb. 11 in Culver City, Calif., and charged with three misdemeanors: possession of a loaded, concealed and unregistered handgun. He pleaded guilty to one charge in exchange for the other two being dropped. He was sentenced to three years probation and 80 hours community service.
"This time, I feel it really will stick," Lynch said. "That's not why I came into the league, to jeopardize my chance of playing. To do something that I love more than anything is to strap up my pads all through the week leading up to Sunday, and that's one thing that I'm not ready to give up."
Goodell hoped the first lecture he delivered to Lynch would have made more of a difference. Lynch was involved in a hit-and-run incident in Buffalo last summer. His Porsche Cayenne SUV struck a woman in the street and then he sped off.
Lynch drew the ire of the community because he got cute with authorities and came away with a minor traffic violation. He refused to submit to police questioning and rebuffed requests from the Erie County district attorney's office before finally admitting he was behind the wheel as part of the plea deal.
"With the first incident, I'm going to say honestly, we didn't play that out in a smart way," Lynch said. "And with this situation, I felt that there was going to come a point where something was going to have to change.
"My agent said we got proactive in knowing that this incident was serious -- not saying that the last one wasn't -- but it's time to make that change and step up to the plate and confess up to what I've done."
Lynch was asked why Bills fans should believe him this time.
"I can only show you," he replied. "It won't be anything that I can say in words that'll make you a believer. So you're just going to have to see for yourself.
"I feel with the incident that I had, I'm young, but I've grown through those situations. What I've learned is that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. And I've seen what those situations put me, my family and the organization through, and that's not what I'm about.
"When I got drafted to Buffalo, like I told you all before, I wanted to come here to play ball. I never had the intentions of getting in trouble or anything like that, but along the way, my road got rocky, and now it's time to get the pavement straight."
Marshawn Lynch, Roger Goodell
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Here is a sharp one! Prossman
March 18, 2009 6:17 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Graham
Marshawn Lynch has the fear of Goodell in him.
Lynch insisted he received NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's message loud and clear during a Tuesday afternoon meeting to discuss why the Buffalo Bills running back keeps getting into trouble with the law.
Lynch
"The message that he gave to me came through," Lynch said Wednesday in a transcript released by the Bills. "I can still feel some of the words running through my body right now as he said them in the meeting."
Lynch is facing a likely suspension after finding himself in front of the commissioner for the second time in about nine months.
Lynch said he would know how many games he will miss "in about 10 days," but NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told ESPN.com in an e-mail Wednesday afternoon that "we don't expect a decision for at least a few weeks."
Lynch was arrested Feb. 11 in Culver City, Calif., and charged with three misdemeanors: possession of a loaded, concealed and unregistered handgun. He pleaded guilty to one charge in exchange for the other two being dropped. He was sentenced to three years probation and 80 hours community service.
"This time, I feel it really will stick," Lynch said. "That's not why I came into the league, to jeopardize my chance of playing. To do something that I love more than anything is to strap up my pads all through the week leading up to Sunday, and that's one thing that I'm not ready to give up."
Goodell hoped the first lecture he delivered to Lynch would have made more of a difference. Lynch was involved in a hit-and-run incident in Buffalo last summer. His Porsche Cayenne SUV struck a woman in the street and then he sped off.
Lynch drew the ire of the community because he got cute with authorities and came away with a minor traffic violation. He refused to submit to police questioning and rebuffed requests from the Erie County district attorney's office before finally admitting he was behind the wheel as part of the plea deal.
"With the first incident, I'm going to say honestly, we didn't play that out in a smart way," Lynch said. "And with this situation, I felt that there was going to come a point where something was going to have to change.
"My agent said we got proactive in knowing that this incident was serious -- not saying that the last one wasn't -- but it's time to make that change and step up to the plate and confess up to what I've done."
Lynch was asked why Bills fans should believe him this time.
"I can only show you," he replied. "It won't be anything that I can say in words that'll make you a believer. So you're just going to have to see for yourself.
"I feel with the incident that I had, I'm young, but I've grown through those situations. What I've learned is that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. And I've seen what those situations put me, my family and the organization through, and that's not what I'm about.
"When I got drafted to Buffalo, like I told you all before, I wanted to come here to play ball. I never had the intentions of getting in trouble or anything like that, but along the way, my road got rocky, and now it's time to get the pavement straight."
Marshawn Lynch, Roger Goodell
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Here is a sharp one! Prossman