Former NFL player Marshawn Lynch revealed police profiling was part of the reason he left Buffalo, New York, after playing for the Buffalo Bills.
As a recent guest on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, the former star running back opened up about the times he was harassed by the police, leaving him too stunned to speak at times.
“I’d get pulled over going to work, I’d get pulled over coming from work,” Lynch said. “I got pulled over in the stadium leaving the game. I’m still on the property of the Buffalo Bills, and I got pulled over twice. In the facility!”
After Sharpe tried to loosen the mood on why he was constantly getting pulled over, the Oakland, California, native steered the conversation toward reality.
“Before I even get to the streets, I look up and see the billboard on the stadium, “Beast Mode” over here and players’ cars here,” Lynch said. “And behind I seen them cherries and berries and 5-0 on me, talking about turn off the car.”
“I did not even get to the street. That’s how serious it was,” he continued.
A 2009 article from Bleacher Report points out how Lynch’s mother pleaded with the Buffalo community not to judge her son by his long dreads and gold teeth, but his actions weren’t the most positive. During his time in upstate NY, he was accused of a hit-and-run incident and arrested for possession of a loaded, concealed firearm in Colorado. It wasn’t until months later that Lynch admitted to being the hit-and-run driver.
However, it wasn’t all bad blood during the four seasons. Starting in 2007, Lynch took it upon himself to go to a local police station to talk to authorities about why he was getting pulled over. On the way there, another cop pulled him over, but not for criminal reasons, but to tell Lynch that his son was a huge fan.
“Man, you can’t do that! Bro, you finna work the game,” Lynch told Sharpe while laughing. “Why you pull me over right now, when you coulda just brought your son to the facility?”
Since retiring, Lynch has appeared on shows, including HBO’s Westworld, and frequently collaborates with the NFL on programs. His most recent viral video shows him visiting Amish country.