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Marshawn Lynch Goes Back To Seattle And Invests In NHL Team, The Kraken

Source: Jeff Kravitz / Getty

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arshawn Lynch played his last pro football in December 2019 for the Seattle Seahawks, and the running back better known as “Beast Mode” is one of the Emerald City‘s most beloved athletes. Now, he’s jumping back into the Seattle sports scene, except this time, it’ll be as a minority investor of the metro’s pro hockey team, The Kraken.

Beast Mode shared the news on his Instagram page this past Monday. “On God, 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 captioned the first of two posts. “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,” he continued. “And if you thought I was goin somewhere, nah Seattle, I’m here! Stand up!!!!” Lynch celebrated his appointment by going “Beast Mode” on a Zamboni and performing doughnuts on the rink at the Kraken’s new Northgate practice facility

Tod Leiweke, the Kraken’s CEO, said the team initially wasn’t actively looking for someone else to bring on board. However, Lynch’s many philanthropic efforts made him an automatic no-brainer for the position. “For us, we didn’t need additional investors, but the thing that attracted us to these guys was their interest in community activism through this organization, and that’s a big deal,” he told CNBC.

Lynch has always made charity a key part of his brand. Whether it’s been delivering masks in his hometown of Oakland, CA, or personally handing out free Thanksgiving turkeys in Hawaii, the retired Super Bowl champ always looks for a way to give back. So a supplement to Lynch’s new deal is that he will be part of the league’s “Hockey Is for Everyone” campaign.

According to its website, the initiative aims to break down barriers in the sport — from the amateur level through the pros — and make everyone feel welcome to play hockey, “regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, disability, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.”

Barely more than one week earlier, the Kraken showed their support for the “Hockey Is for Everyone” campaign by holding their first Pride Night on April 9. Local artist Glynn Rosenberg, who identifies as non-binary, designed special jerseys for the event. The gear and the sticks and nameplate used for that game were later auctioned to benefit the One Roof Foundation and the Seattle Pride Hockey Association.

Photo: Jeff Kravitz / Getty

Marshawn Lynch Goes Back To Seattle & Becomes Newest Investor In NHL’s Kraken  was originally published on cassiuslife.com