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Marshawn Lynch Retires: An Ode To Beast Mode

Marshawn Lynch lives his life on his own terms, so his low-key retirement announcement was no surprise.  (AP Photo/Joe Nicholson)
Marshawn Lynch lives his life on his own terms, so his low-key retirement announcement was no surprise. (AP Photo/Joe Nicholson)

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch announced his retirement in a way only he could. During the third quarter of Sunday’s Super Bowl, the man of few words ended all speculation without saying anything at all — he simply tweeted a picture of cleats hanging from a wire coupled with the peace-sign emoji.

Just as captivating as Lynch’s runs is his personality. Here are the moments that defined the Skittles-loving, custom-gold-grill-procuring back.

‘I’m Just Here So I Won’t Get Fined’

It was this press conference at Super Bowl Media Day in 2015 that turned "Beast Mode" into a household name. The Seahawks may have gone on to lose the Super Bowl, but the interview spawned a wide range of tributes from the likes of Katy PerryNASCAR driver Kevin Harvick and Nebraska men’s basketball coach Tim Miles. Lynch even went so far as to trademark the phrase.

Playing Mortal Kombat X With Rob Gronkowski And Conan O'Brien

Beast Mode was busy before Super Bowl XLIX. The noted video game fan took part in a game of Mortal Kombat X with Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Conan O’Brien for O’Brien’s show. The resulting clip has racked up nearly 15 million views on YouTube and Lynch did a sequel before Super Bowl 50 with Von Miller and Josh Norman.

'I’m Just About That Action, Boss'

The reticent Lynch created another catchphrase one year earlier during an interview with Deion Sanders at 2014 Super Bowl Media Day as he described his media-shy attitude.

Proclaiming His Keys To Life

In an interview with former teammate and current NFL Network personality Michael Robinson, Lynch offered up a definition of "Beast Mode."

During his time with the Seahawks, Robinson featured Lynch in a video series called "Messin' With Marshawn"

Taking Over The Cal Training Staff's Cart

After a home win over the University of Washington, Lynch -- then at Cal — noticed that the training staff's cart was left unattended. So, naturally, he took it for a spin on the field to celebrate the victory.

Treating His Offensive Line To Sizzler

Long before he became Beast Mode, Lynch showed flashes of his personality during one of the few interviews he granted as a high schooler in Oakland, California. After a winning performance, Lynch praised the play of his offensive line and promised to take them all to Sizzler even though he was admittedly broke. No word if he’s made good on that promise.


It's uncertain what Lynch's post-football career holds, but one thing is for sure — whatever path he decides to go down will be uniquely his own.  Farewell, Beast Mode!

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