Written by Sheil Kapadia at ESPN.com
In his first public interview since announcing his retirement from football on Twitter in February, Marshawn Lynch slammed the door on any speculation that he might change his mind.
“I’m done. I’m done. I enjoyed my time playing. Now it’s time to watch my cousins do their thing,” Lynch said during an interview with “60 Minutes Sports” that will air Tuesday night on Showtime. “I’m retired. Is that good enough? Which camera do you want me to look into? This one? I’m done. I’m not playing football anymore.”
During the Super Bowl, Lynch tweeted a photo hanging up his cleats. Since then, he has been a busy man. He traveled to Egypt as part of the American Football Without Barriers program. He visited Haiti with former Seattle Seahawks teammate Cliff Avril to build an elementary school and work on other community projects. And he has spent plenty of time in his hometown of Oakland, California, attending Golden State Warriors and San Jose Sharks playoff games.
Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman said last month that he wouldn’t put a change of heart past Lynch, but Lynch reiterated that he is at peace with his decision.
Asked if he’s fine with never playing another down, Lynch said, “Oh yeah, I’m good. I enjoyed my time.”
The 2015 season was a struggle for Lynch. He missed nine regular-season games and one in the playoffs after undergoing surgery associated with a sports abdomen injury on Nov. 25. Lynch had missed just one game the four previous seasons.
Lynch has been among the most productive running backs in the league since 2011, his first full season with the Seahawks after arriving from the Buffalo Bills in a midseason trade the year before. During those five seasons, Lynch was third in rushing yards (5,774), second in first downs (294) and first in rushing touchdowns. His 51 touchdowns surpassed Adrian Peterson’s second-place total by six.
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