Font Resize
OAKLAND
ONE THING ALWAYS evident about Marshawn Lynch is his desire to go through real life in much the same way he goes through his fantasy existence as a star running back.
Quickly, playfully, generously and without slowing down.
That's how Lynch was at Cal, where he was fabulous yet consistently directed attention toward his teammates. Coming off a rookie season with Buffalo, where he gained 1,115 yards, nothing seems to have changed.
He's friendly and approachable and good-natured but obviously uncomfortable with celebrity.
So there he was Saturday, in his hometown, on the occasion of his second annual Family First football camp at Oakland Tech, an eager participant, playing and giving and diverting attention.
With about 500 kids ages 8 to 18 flooding the football/track facility at his old high school, Lynch spent the better part of seven hours throwing passes and running routes and signing autographs. Though he was joined by fellow athletes and coaches donating their time to the cause, this was his show.
The vibe was positive. It was highly organized, very well-attended and free of conflict. There was zero police presence; none was needed.
"This is all a reflection of him," Berkeley High football coach Alonzo Carter said, pointing toward Lynch from the sideline. "These kids look at him as one of them. And he enjoys being one of them."
Same as it ever
But real life intruded a few weeks ago, and Lynch is still trying to cope.
The facts tell us he was driving his Porsche SUV in downtown Buffalo when it hit a woman. Lynch kept driving. The victim was taken to a hospital, treated for a bruised hip and a cut on her thigh before being released. As authorities spent several weeks hoping to question Lynch, he avoided them.
Nearly a month after the May 31 accident, Lynch admitted he was behind the wheel but said he didn't realize he hit the woman. He offered an apology and agreed to plead guilty to a traffic violation — one count of failure to exercise due care to avoid striking a pedestrian.
Administrative law Judge Thomas Gagola, satisfied the victim's injuries were not serious, on June 30 imposed the maximum $100 fine, revoking for an unspecified amount of time Lynch's driver's license and vehicle registration.
Real life. For real.
Lynch would know that better than anybody else. And there may come a day when he readily and ably discusses this issue, perhaps even articulates the impact it has had on him.
But not now. Though I had informed Lynch's publicist I had no desire to revisit the accident — only to know how it has affected him — he seemed to anticipate the subject.
"I'm all right," he said upon conclusion of the camp. "I don't really want to concern myself with anything else. I'm just here to spend some time with these kids, enjoy their company and go on home."
If only it were that simple. If only Lynch could hug the kids, enjoy his friends and pose for pictures. It's a wonderful gesture, having an NFL star invite a few friends to provide information and instruction to hundreds of youngsters, many underprivileged.
"It's no big deal," Lynch said dismissively. "It's just for them. A lot of them coming up ... a lot of them have nowhere to turn to. I don't see it as doing too much."
If the reception he received and the number of volunteers on hand are any indication, the community thanks him. This was, as one observer said, "a way to teach these kids something, give"‚'em some hope and show them what's possible."
But the complexities of real life are never far away. Lynch, 22, may not grasp this, but his mother, Delisa, who raised Marshawn and his three siblings, surely knows of real life.
"It was stressful," she said of knowing her son might be in trouble. "It could've happened to anybody. In this case, it was Marshawn. Hopefully, he'll learn and be OK.
"But I basically told him growing up, if you do something, you have to live with it."
For it's not always as simple, no matter how much you give, as playing through it.
Contact Monte Poole at mpoole@bayareanewsgroup.com.
