We’re mad at Marshawn Lynch for not talking (much) on Super Bowl Media Day?

So, Marshawn Lynch didn’t talk at Super Bowl Media Day. More specifically, Marshawn Lynch showed up at Super Bowl Media Day, gave an awesome interview, and left after six minutes, after a year he didn’t talk to the media.

Lynch’s decision not to make himself available is apparently a sin. At least that’s what Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports writes:

Embarrassing, all of it. Lynch is the highest-paid player on the Seahawks, in the second year of a four-year, $31-million contract in which $17 million was guaranteed... And in return, the NFL asks its players to occasionally step outside their cocoon of football for short periods of time, answering questions from the media, supplying information that will be read by fans.

The Pro Football Writers Association has echoed this sentiment.

The Pro Football Writers of America, the official voice of pro football writers fighting and promoting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public, is extremely disappointed in the lack of meaningful access to Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch at the Super Bowl XLVIII media day on Tuesday.

Several of our long-standing and high profile members were appalled by Mr. Lynch’s conduct and refusal to answer any questions.

We find the statement that by the league that “Players are required to participate and he participated” to be an affront to our membership.

Perhaps I don’t understand. Richard Sherman was asked to speak on camera two weeks ago, and was very loud and honest about something, and he was made into the world’s greatest criminal for supposedly diverting attention towards himself. His teammate opts not to say anything to anybody. And he’s ... ungrateful?

I’ve been a person asked to ask people questions about sports to write a story. Admittedly, it’s frustrating when those people are less than forthcoming. We’re writers, but what we have to say is considerably less interesting than what athletes have to say. That’s why we talk to them. If every interviewee I ever met responded with Sherman-esque (Richard, not me) noise rather than Lynch-esque demurring, I would have had some much more interesting stories.

But this is five days before the Super Bowl, and we don’t need more noise.

We are mad at Marshawn Lynch for not making himself available at Super Bowl Media Day, when more than 6,000 credentialed “reporters” show up to a stadium and ask people questions.

This guy was there:

Someone was there to ask Pete Carroll if this was a “must-win game.”

This was Dave Dameshek of NFL.com, and it was a joke, but it was still something that happened.

Someone was there to ask this:

To be honest, your story will probably be fine with quotes from the other 105 players and dozens of coaches affiliated with the two teams.

• SB Nation’s complete coverage of Super Bowl XLVIII

• The best (and we mean worst) of Super Bowl media day

• Bed, breakfast and beyond: The AirBnB guide to Super Bowl tourism

• Floyd Mayweather makes $10M wager? | Super Bowl prop bets

• NFL mock draft: Blake Bortles is the new No. 1 pick

• The sordid end of David Meggett: From All-Pro to prison