Marshawn Lynch made a career out of protecting the football, but these days he\u2019s protecting the camera.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The retired All-Pro running back is now a credentialed NFL photographer, and he put his patented stiff arm to use in Thursday night\u2019s preseason game in Seattle between the Seahawks and Raiders.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Seattle running back George Holani tumbled into the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown, he accidentally backed into Lynch, who stuck out his elbow to keep his camera safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lynch, who played with both the Seahawks and Raiders in his 12-year NFL career, last appeared in a game in 2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since his retirement, he\u2019s gotten involved in sports ownership \u2013 with stakes in both the USL Championship\u2019s Oakland Roots SC and the Seattle Kraken \u2013 and he\u2019s also invested in a cannabis brand and a holoportation startup.<\/p>\n
Marshawn Lynch stiff-armed the Seahawks\u2019 George Holani while photographing Thursday\u2019s preseason game. @SamMonsonNFL\/X<\/p>\n
Photography appears to be a new hobby for the 39-year-old, but perhaps the 2014 Super Bowl champion was inspired by fellow Seattle sports legends Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Johnson, who have both transitioned from MLB stars to sports photography after their respective retirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lynch, known by NFL fans as \u201cBeast Mode,\u201d was a dominant force in his prime, which he mostly spent with the Seahawks in the mid-2010s.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another angle of Lynch\u2019s stiff arm. @ESPN\/Instagram<\/p>\n
Marshawn Lynch taking a photo at Thursday\u2019s Seahawks-Raiders preseason game. AP<\/p>\n
The Oakland native arrived in Seattle in 2010, and made four consecutive Pro-Bowl appearances with the team from 2011-14.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the time, the Seahawks had Russell Wilson under center, their dominant \u201cLegion of Boom\u201d defense and current Raiders coach Pete Carroll manning the sidelines.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In his career, Lynch rushed for more than 10,000 total yards and for 85 touchdowns, including six seasons with 1,000-plus rushing yards.<\/p>\n
The clip of Lynch and his camera set social media abuzz Thursday night, prompting plenty of jokes<\/a> about the running back\u2019s new talent.<\/p>\n \u201cBro went from beast mode to portrait mode,\u201d joked one commenter on Instagram.<\/p>\n Another quipped, \u201cWhen you start applying to random jobs on Indeed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat muscle memory came in clutch,\u201d said a third. \u201cNever change Beast Mode.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t