Much remains unknown about the vague allegations of assault and personal property damage made against Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch. But the Seahawks know enough to offer a sweeping condemnation of them.
“While we maintain the utmost respect for the investigative process, after speaking with Marshawn, we are comfortable these accusations are bogus,” the team said in a statement issued Tuesday.
Without more, it’s impossible to know whether the Seahawks have simply opted to believe a potentially biased account of the facts, or whether Lynch has managed to persuasively refute each and every accusation with conclusive evidence that proves he didn’t do whatever he is accused of doing.
Regardless, the Seahawks won’t have the last word on this. Criminal action remains possible. Even if Lynch isn’t arrested, charged, or prosecuted, his history could make the NFL even more zealous about investigating the situation on its own, going beyond Lynch’s version of the events and examining the facts fully, fairly, and objectively.