Lynch wanted to get in Carroll's face after SB XLIX debacle

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll talks with former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) during pre-game warmups against the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field. Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Marshawn Lynch wanted to get in Pete Carroll's face after Super Bowl XLIX debacle

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated Feb 18, 2023 7:14 PM ET

Eight years after the Seattle Seahawks' loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX, former running back Marshawn Lynch still isn't over it.

That year's Super Bowl is most well-known for head coach Pete Carroll's disastrous late-game decision to throw instead of handing the ball off to Lynch from just outside the goal line, resulting in a game-clinching interception by Malcolm Butler. On this week's "I AM ATHLETE" podcast, Lynch revealed his true feelings about the controversial play call.

"When it comes to the play call and that situation, I'm boiling," Lynch said. "And the only thing I could do was think that I need to get in Pete [Carroll's] face, so then what happened is you in that mindset like, 'should've gave me the ball, should've gave me the ball.'"

The moment still haunts Lynch, who believes that he and the Seahawks would have continued to do big things had they walked away with the Lombardi Trophy that season.

"We at the peak of our careers with the opportunity to go ahead and start a dynasty, and then we fumbled the bag on the two-yard line," Lynch said.

The unforgettable Super Bowl moment denied the Seahawks of back-to-back titles, and the organization hasn't been back to the big game since. It's hard not to wonder what could have been had Carroll and the Seahawks not outsmarted themselves.

Lynch had already carried much of the load up to that point in the game, finishing with 102 yards and a touchdown of 24 carries.

After the Super Bowl debacle, Lynch spent one more season in Seattle before leaving for the Oakland Raiders in 2018. After two years with the Raiders, Lynch came back to play one more game for the Seahawks in 2019 before hanging his cleats up for good.

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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