Words by Jason Cordner
Looks like “Beast Mode” will be grounded for one week. The NFL issued a one-game suspension to Marshawn Lynch for making contact with an official during the Raiders’ Thursday night win over the Chiefs in week 7. Lynch appealed, and on Tuesday, the league decided that Lynch’s suspension has been upheld, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Marshawn Lynch will definitely be out this Sunday after his appeal was denied. https://t.co/VV8ZgpLhJ0
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 24, 2017
“You made deliberate physical contact with one of our game officials as he was diffusing an active confrontation between players,” NFL vice president of football operations Jon Runyan said, via a letter to Lynch announcing the suspension. “You were disqualified for your inappropriate and unsportsmanlike actions. Your conduct included pushing the game official and grabbing his jersey.”
What This Means For The Oakland Raiders?
They’ll be without Lynch for this week’s game against the Buffalo Bills. Lynch has been getting the bulk of the carries, but the run game is less of a factor for Oakland. The starting duties fall to second-year running back Jalen Richard, who has arguably performed better than Lynch this season. Richard has 158 yards on 35 carries (4.5 yards per carry) and one touchdown. Lynch has 266 yards on 72 carries (3.7 yards per carry) and two touchdowns.
What This Means For Beast Mode?
It’s going to hit Lynch right in the wallet. He’ll lose a game check, which is probably right around $80,000. He’ll also forfeit an active per-game bonus of $31,250 that the Raiders worked into his contract.
