Arizona Cardinals linebacker Larry Foote strongly criticized Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch on Monday, saying Lynch is sending the wrong message to children.
"He always mentions his foundation and what he likes to do for the city of Oakland," Foote said in an interview with 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. "I'm from the same type of urban environment that he's from.
"The biggest message he's giving these kids ... is 'The hell with authority. I don't care, fine me. I'm gonna grab my crotch. I'm gonna do it my way.'" Larry Foote, Arizona Cardinals LB,
on Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch
"The biggest message he's giving these kids, he might not want to admit it, is 'The hell with authority. I don't care, fine me. I'm gonna grab my crotch. I'm gonna do it my way.'"
Foote's point is kids will believe they can act the same as Lynch does.
"In the real world, it doesn't work that way," Foote said. "It just doesn't. How can you keep a job? I mean, you got these inner-city kids. They don't listen to teachers. They don't listen to police officers, principals. And these guys can't even keep a job because they say 'F' authority."
Foote, a former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker who signed with Arizona before the 2014 season, said former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, is an example of a player who sent the right message to kids.
Bettis, an ESPN analyst, is a former recipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award and this year's Walter Camp Football Foundation Man of the Year winner. His The Bus Stops Here Foundation has been helping troubled and underprivileged kids in the Detroit and Pittsburgh areas since 1997.
