The former Seattle running back spoke candidly about how the play ultimately affected the Seahawks organization.
It’s been nearly a decade since Malcolm Butler picked off Russell Wilson to seal Super Bowl XLIX, but people still talk about the Seahawks’ decision to throw the ball at the 1-yard line instead of giving the ball to Marshawn Lynch. Even some of the players involved still don’t seem to have gotten over what happened in the game.
While appearing on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay program in an episode released Thursday, Lynch explained what transpired in that fateful moment, including his laughing in Pete Carroll’s face on the sideline. Lynch then explained to Sharpe that if Seattle had scored and won their second consecutive Super Bowl, the entire trajectory of the organization could have changed.
“You took a dream away. You took a moment away. You arguably took a dynasty away,” Lynch said. “You put us in the history books as the dumbest call in football history.”
Marshawn Lynch Laughed In Pete Carroll’s Face After Russell Wilson Threw The Interception In Super Bowl 49
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) October 5, 2023
"You put us in the history books as the dumbest call in football history." - Marshawn Lynch pic.twitter.com/CULhWPtY8g
Lynch said a second Super Bowl victory would have made it easier to keep the team’s core of talent intact, as players would’ve been more willing to take less money to stay with the Seahawks. Instead, Seattle never made it back to the Super Bowl, and that version of the Seahawks ended up with one title and a missed opportunity.
In the interview with Sharpe, Lynch spoke candidly about what happened with the Seahawks, including his relationship with his former quarterback and what caused the team to lose faith in Wilson as the leader. However, that one play “most definitely” ended that version of the Seahawks, according to Lynch.
