Yet on several occasions last year Lynch wondered if the negative public perception about him impacted the behavior of authority figures.
“When I’m out, I’m real cautious about what I do,” Lynch said. “I’ve dealt with a lot. I don’t want to call it unfair, but there’s a lot of little things I have to deal with.”
After a September home game against the Bucs, one of the contests Lynch missed because of the suspension, he was pulled over by police officers while driving out of the stadium parking lot.
“The police made a big deal that my music was too loud,” he recalled. “I said, ‘I am at the stadium. You’ve got people out here tailgating, having parties, with TVs, and music.’ I mean, they actually had a live band playing. You had people drinking, making noise.
“[After another] game I was leaving the facility and somebody threw a beer can at my car. One of my teammates was behind me and saw it; he went to the police officer in front of me and told him what happened. The officer said, ‘Well, there’s a lot of people out here with a lot of beer cans. What, you want me to ask everybody if they threw a beer can and try to find out who did it?’ ”
In January, Hamburg police investigated an incident in which Lynch allegedly stole $20 from a Buffalo police detective’s wife at a TGI Friday’s. Hendrickson, Lynch’s agent, called the allegations “false and malicious” and described the Buffalo police officer in question as a “racist rogue cop.” No charges were filed.
Lynch said he got to the point in Buffalo where he felt like staying home was the best and only option. “I was staying in with my uncle Lee and my cousin Sam, and it got to a point where [playing video games] was all I was doing,” Lynch said. “And I got so good at the Wii bowling game I could bowl a strike from the other room. That’s how good I got.
“That’s why I went out and got my two puppies – that’s all I was going to do was take care of the dogs. … Then [the homeowners’ association] started telling me they were going to fine me. I’d had ‘em out playing outside, so I figured, maybe if I just keep ‘em in the house it’ll be OK. It wasn’t.
“They called animal control and had ‘em come out – they said my dogs were, like, vicious. The lady got over there to check my dogs. She said, ‘Well, I couldn’t see where they say these dogs are vicious.’ I had bought a six-foot gate and put it in my garage, so I could keep ‘em in, and she checked that out and found no problem. But I still started to get those fine slips.
“So now what do I do? I can only play so much Madden.”
“When I’m out, I’m real cautious about what I do,” Lynch said. “I’ve dealt with a lot. I don’t want to call it unfair, but there’s a lot of little things I have to deal with.”
After a September home game against the Bucs, one of the contests Lynch missed because of the suspension, he was pulled over by police officers while driving out of the stadium parking lot.
“The police made a big deal that my music was too loud,” he recalled. “I said, ‘I am at the stadium. You’ve got people out here tailgating, having parties, with TVs, and music.’ I mean, they actually had a live band playing. You had people drinking, making noise.
“[After another] game I was leaving the facility and somebody threw a beer can at my car. One of my teammates was behind me and saw it; he went to the police officer in front of me and told him what happened. The officer said, ‘Well, there’s a lot of people out here with a lot of beer cans. What, you want me to ask everybody if they threw a beer can and try to find out who did it?’ ”
In January, Hamburg police investigated an incident in which Lynch allegedly stole $20 from a Buffalo police detective’s wife at a TGI Friday’s. Hendrickson, Lynch’s agent, called the allegations “false and malicious” and described the Buffalo police officer in question as a “racist rogue cop.” No charges were filed.
Lynch said he got to the point in Buffalo where he felt like staying home was the best and only option. “I was staying in with my uncle Lee and my cousin Sam, and it got to a point where [playing video games] was all I was doing,” Lynch said. “And I got so good at the Wii bowling game I could bowl a strike from the other room. That’s how good I got.
“That’s why I went out and got my two puppies – that’s all I was going to do was take care of the dogs. … Then [the homeowners’ association] started telling me they were going to fine me. I’d had ‘em out playing outside, so I figured, maybe if I just keep ‘em in the house it’ll be OK. It wasn’t.
“They called animal control and had ‘em come out – they said my dogs were, like, vicious. The lady got over there to check my dogs. She said, ‘Well, I couldn’t see where they say these dogs are vicious.’ I had bought a six-foot gate and put it in my garage, so I could keep ‘em in, and she checked that out and found no problem. But I still started to get those fine slips.
“So now what do I do? I can only play so much Madden.”
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