Just imagine lining up at a high school football practice and then you look across the ball, and you just realised that you’re about to get trucked by a Super Bowl champion.

NFL legend Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch just touched down in the Windy City for an unannounced visit to tap in with Chicago youth. Known for his legendary power, complete unfiltered authenticity, and immense heart, Lynch didn't just stand on the sidelines in a suit—he decided to lace up his spikes, grabbed a helmet, and jumped right into the drills to show these kids what real grit looks like.

He joined the youth of Phillips Academy High School (Chicago, IL) with the Wildcats and participated in a friendly game. “Yeah, but I really just wanted to come in, tap in with y'all, see what y'all had going on. Get down with y'all a little bit on the field. I'ma go grab my spikes and see what's up. Big boy. Come on, big boy.”

He further stated, “I was like, 'Uh, let's not try to look like a fan boy. S- stay calm." And then I looked at him, I'm like, "Okay, he, he's big. I just need to touch a little bit. All you're gonna do is take a step and just come down here.”

This is also not the first time that he has made a surprise appearance! He did that once at a Cal Spring game as well. 

Marshawn Lynch makes surprise appearance at Cal Spring game back in 2013

So there was a running back wearing a No. 10 and suddenly went around the side of the line. He decided to run 22 yards for a touchdown. It was all distant memories of when Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch decided to wear that exact number in Berkeley. Guess what? It was more than memory.

It was Lynch in the flesh, who had planned to participate in his alma mater’s football game for one play as a motivational aspect for the fans watching the game- just imagine the surprise!

Lynch had already decided to speak to the school about this initiative, and the school's new head coach Sonny Dykes instantly agreed to the plan. He also made sure that his team understood that they needed to keep the distance from Lynch so that Dykes didn’t have to explain an injury to Pete Carroll.

“We told the guys if anybody tackled him, it was going to be a $25 million fine,” Dykes said, via the San Jose Mercury News. “I didn’t want to be getting a call from Pete.”

So he has always been a motivator for younger athletes. What do you think about his recent visit?

Written by

Tanushree Bhowmick

Edited by

Tanushree Bhowmick