Marshawn Lynch doesn't say much at media day

PHOENIX - Marshawn Lynch had a podium designated for him and a phalanx of reporters awaiting him, but the Seattle Seahawks' star running back adhered to his reputation by saying nothing at the Super Bowl's annual media day other than his repeated desire to avoid a fine.

"I'm here so I won't get fined," Lynch responded to every question during a five-minute period. He added in "just" and "boss" for variety.

Lynch has been reprimanded by the NFL for not speaking to reporters, including a $50,000 fine in November for violating the league's media policy. His appearance at media day was similarly a spectacle last season.

Lynch remains one of the Seahawks' most popular players - and one of their most productive players, too. Lynch rushed for 1,307 yards with 13 touchdowns this year. He also caught 37 passes for 367 yards and four TDs. His reluctance to answer questions has seemed to enhance his marketability.

"Let's not miss that he is a very unique individual and he has a way that we have embraced, that we understand Marshawn and we support him every way that we can," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Sunday. "But he is a very unique guy and he's got his own way of looking at things and he's also a very private person, too. That's why the media thing is as it is. . . . I've said this before, at this time, that there's a great deal spoken in his silence as well."

In an article that cornerback Richard Sherman wrote for Sports Illustrated, he said that Lynch "talking to the press is the equivalent of putting a reporter on a football field telling him to tackle Adrian Peterson."

"I don't think they should be obligated any more than the commissioner is obligated to speak to the media," Sherman said Tuesday. "I think that if players are going to be obligated to speak to the media then every one of the NFL personnel should be obligated to speak to the media weekly, and that's not the case."

The Seahawks' "Legion of Boom" secondary lost one of its original members in the offseason when cornerback Brandon Browner signed with the Patriots. He did not play in the Super Bowl last season because of a suspension, but he's now in what might be the NFL's second-best secondary.

Browner has a tattoo that reads "LOB" from his time in Seattle and he considers Sherman one of his best friends, but that didn't stop him from advocating the Patriots going after Sherman's injured elbow.

"That's like in any game, you have a guy that messes his ankle up and you're going to tackle and make sure you land on his ankle," Browner said. ". . . That's just a part of the game."

Sherman spoke Sunday about the "conflict of interest" that comes from Patriots owner Robert Kraft's relationship with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, citing a photo of Goodell and Kraft together before the AFC championship game.

Kraft told reporters Tuesday that Sherman is a "marketing whiz," and that the photo was from a party Kraft hosted for league sponsors.

"It's a way to try to grow revenues for the NFL and our team," Kraft told reporters. "So I think Mr. Sherman understood that he's the biggest beneficiary because they get over 50 percent of the revenues. So he didn't go to Harvard, but Stanford must be pretty good because he figured it out."