Justin Wilcox Celebrates Marshawn Lynch's New Role as Seattle Kraken Investor
Beast Mode continues to expand his realm, and Cal football coach Justin Wilcox is impressed.
Marshawn Lynch, who first came to prominence as a dynamic running back at Cal from 2004-06, added another significant entry to his post-football career on Monday when he was announced as a minority investor with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it . . . that’s big-time,” Wilcox said during his post-practice media session on Monday morning. “I think that’s awesome. What an achievement.”
Lynch, who played much of his NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks, was introduced along with Seattle-born rapper Macklemore as new investors in the NHL’s first-year expansion franchise, which Forbes recently valued at $875 million.
No terms of the agreements were announced but the Seattle Times reported that minority investments are typically for $5 million and include ownership shares in arena revenue.
The Kraken celebrated the occasion by sharing these videos of Lynch enjoying his time behind the wheel of a Zamboni machine:
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Lynch, who grew up in Oakland and starred at Oakland Tech High School before enrolling at Cal, has been active in business and the both the Bay Area and Seattle communities since his 12-year NFL career ended in 2019.
Lynch sounded thrilled with his latest venture.
“I’ve been a part of a lot of things, but this is something I never would have imagined — as a young hyena I always dreamed of playing on a professional team but owning one is something special,” Lynch said in a release put out by the team.
“As I look back on some of my accomplishments — I retired before I was 30 and now being an owner of a professional club at the age of 35 — I’m gonna continue to count my blessings … being a part of the Seattle Kraken is something big for me it gives me another chance to get a ring after helping bring the first NFL one to the city.”
Wilcox never coached Lynch at Cal but has gotten to know him and said he isn’t surprised the former star running back continues to flourish.
“Marshawn. obviously he is a phenomenal talent. We all know that. Even if you don’t know football, he made football fans out of people that really didn’t watch football,” Wilcox said. “The way he played the game, the physicality, the Beat Mode brand . . . he has really done so much on the field.
“But off the field, it’s not surprising because he is a very intentional guy. He’s super smart and I know he’s interested in a lot of different things. What an achievement for him. It’s awesome for our guys to see that, what he’s accomplished . . . not only on the field but taking what he’s done on the field and transitioning to a post-football career and being very, very successful at it.
“He’s impacted a lot of folks, that’s for sure. That’s great news.”
African American athletes have for years captured the spotlight on professional playing fields. More recently, they have begun to make headway into coaching and management. But Lynch’s ability to secure an ownership stake is a huge step forward.
Wilcox stressed that Lynch didn’t accomplish this merely because of his ability to score touchdowns.
“I think sometimes guys that are gifted, people think it’s easy for them. It’s not easy. It takes more than physical, God-given ability. He is a testament to that,” Wilcox said. “He is a very talented person, but he is a tough, hard-working guy who persevered a number of times throughout his life.
‘So I think it’s an unbelievable example for not only players on our team but young people on our campus, young people in Oakland. A guy that’s from right here. Again, it impacts a lot of people, not only right here at Cal football but throughout the community as well.”
Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke told CNBC that Lynch and Macklemore approached the organization last summer about becoming investors. The NHL approved the deal earlier this month.
"For us, we didn't need additional investors," Leiweke said, "but the thing that attracted us to these guys was their interest in community activism through this organization, and that's a big deal.”
Lynch will be a part of the NHL's Hockey Is for Everyone campaign, and Leiweke said Lynch has asked about shadowing him to see the ins and outs of a hockey CEO's responsibilities.
"He's intrigued with the idea of what's it's like to be an owner and the business side and the financing," Leiweke said.
Macklemore, the Grammy-winning artist, will work to produce music events that serve the community and engage with fans, the Kraken said. He’ll also work with the team to create an annual Bogey Boys and Seattle Kraken Golf tournament. Bogey Boys is a golf and lifestyle clothing brand that Macklemore launched last year.
Lynch and Macklemore became friends in 2013 when the rapper’s song “Can’t Hold Us” with Ryan Lewis became the Seahawks’ unofficial anthem during their drive to the Super Bowl title, the Seattle Times reported.
Lynch played parts of six seasons in Seattle, rushing for more than 1,000 yards in four of them, including the Super Bowl championship campaign. He scored 62 touchdowns for the Seahawks and became a fan favorite.
Before becoming a five-time Pro Bowl selection, Lynch totaled nearly 4,000 yards rushing and receiving and scored 35 touchdowns at Cal.
Cover photo of Marshawn Lynch by Joe Nicholson, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
