Ricardo Lockette's parents share heartwarming story about Marshawn Lynch
Marshawn Lynch may be the most misunderstood NFL player of the last few years. Famously contentious with the press, the former Seahawks running back was as well known for his curt press conferences as his beastly runs. But ever since his retirement this past year, stories have steadily streamed out about how amazing a person Lynch was, especially to those he held close.
In the Seattle Times this week, writer Jayson Jenks spoke with several members in and around the Seahawks organization about how great a guy Lynch was, and the stories are wonderful. One story in particular stood out, though. It was from the time that former Seahawks defender Ricardo Lockette was injured during a punt return in 2015, suffering a bad neck injury that would eventually play a part in Lockette's retirement later that year.
"We were in there with Ricardo and everything was in a sad mode," said Earl Lockette Sr., Ricardo's dad. "A nurse comes up and says, 'We don't know much about football, Mr. Lockette, but there's a guy outside who says he needs to be in here. He says he plays with Ricardo, and his name is Marshawn Lynch.' I go to the lobby, and Marshawn has his bags. He said, 'I knew it was more than what they told me when I saw him go down. I knew it was more severe than that and I could not leave him here.'
"What Ricardo didn't know is that Marshawn peeked in the room and saw he was in there, in the bed, strapped down, couldn't move, and he cried like a baby. Marshawn did. I won't tell you everything he did, but he took a couple steps back and soaked those tears up, and he went in there and made my son feel like he could run and jump.
"And then on top of that, we didn't know nothing about nothing. He asked us, 'How long are you guys going to be here?' We said, 'We don't know. Until he gets up and walks again, we're not leaving.' He said" 'I've got you guys. You don't have to worry about anything.' When I say he meant that, he really did. He took care of us for a period of time to make sure we didn't have to worry about getting places, transportation, anything. He did that."
The entire article is absolutely worth a read. Go check it out.