Oakland Raiders Running Back Marshawn Lynch Is Appealing His One-Game Suspension for Pushing a Referee
Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch should have thought first before he left the bench and ran to the middle of a scuffle involving his close friend and fellow Oakland native, Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters.
The incident began after Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was hit late by Peters during a run midway through the second quarter of the game last Thursday, Oct. 19. Some of the Raiders' linesmen took exception to the hit and they went after Peters, and Lynch came off the bench to try to diffuse the situation.
Unfortunately, Lynch shoved line judge Julian Mapp out of the way in the process and now he has been suspended one game without pay by the National Football League (NFL) for unsportsmanlike conduct.
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However, the five-time Pro Bowler's appealing the punishment, and ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported that Peters has spoken on Lynch's behalf during the appeal hearing to explain that his friend was trying to calm him down during the incident. A decision is reportedly expected today, Tuesday, Oct. 24.
Meanwhile, Raiders left tackle Donald Penn told NFL Network that Lynch didn't know he was grabbing an official at the time.
"He's going to learn from it ... to be honest with you, I don't think Marshawn knew that was a ref until it was too late," Penn said.
"He just thought it was another player, just trying to get them all off and get things separated. He's going to learn from it, man, we're going to move on. They're all good friends. I'm just sad Marshawn wasn't able to finish the game because I know how much Oakland means to him and how much that win means to him," he continued.
Well, Lynch probably ran to the field with the best intentions, but he has to understand that it's simply unacceptable to come off the bench to join an altercation. Now he may have to pay for his actions.
