Gavin Newsom, lieutenant governor of California, personally called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as a character witness for Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch regarding a DUI arrest.
How's that for having friends in high places?
As Mike Silver explains in a piece looking more broadly at the intersection of sports and politics in California, Newsom and NFL agent Doug Hendrickson are friends. Hendrickson's client list includes Lynch, whose case has not yet been resolved.
"For him to take the time out to talk to the commissioner about me is something I will never forget," Lynch said for the Silver piece. "For Gavin to be the second-most powerful person in California and [still] talk to a kid from Oakland and help me learn about business, it tells you what kind of character he has."
The manner in which the NFL has proceeded with Lynch is consistent with how the league handles unresolved DUI cases in the absence of aggravating circumstances. Still, it can't hurt having leading political figures vouching for you.
