Ex-Seahawk Justin Forsett on Marshawn Lynch the player, person

Marshawn Lynch rarely talks to the media about his thoughts or his life, but friend and former teammate Justin Forsett joined “Brock and Salk” Tuesday to shed some light on Lynch’s decision to retire.

Forsett, who played with Lynch at the University of California and for two seasons with the Seahawks, also discussed some of the Paul Bunyun-esque lore behind Beast Mode. Like the time Lynch came into the weight room as a freshman at Cal and showed off his natural strength while everyone else was learning how to properly lift.

Related: Marshawn Lynch has a case for the hall of fame, but he’s far from a lock

“I remember him being underneath 315 pounds, lifting more than what the offensive linemen were doing who were already there, and just doing it with ease,” Forsett recalled. “And we’re looking around like, ‘Man, this guy is special.'”

Here are some other highlights from their conversation:

On Lynch’s hall-of-fame credentials: “I think the numbers are there. He brought a level of excitement and energy to the game that not a lot of people can match. To me it’s a no-brainer.”

Favorite moments off the field: Forsett called Lynch a caring guy who loves his community. “I’ve seen him literally give the shirt off his back to someone, and that’s something that always sticks out to me. He was that way as a young college kid, so I’m proud of his maturity and the man that he’s become off the field.”

Why Lynch retired now “I think that the toll on his body and mentally it just wasn’t there anymore.”

Why Lynch chose to stop talking to media: “I don’t know, man … He’s never been like a guy that really loved the spotlight on him and as this Beast Mode thing just grew and grew and more people wanted to bring attention on him, he kind of wanted to shun and he didn’t want to make it about himself. So I think that might have been one of the reasons.”

The next stage of Lynch’s life: “I think the next stage is going to be greater. I just see the stuff that he’s got going on, especially with the Beast Mode brand, the store that he just opened up, the people in the community really came out and supported him and his store and his new ventures. And the things he’s doing with the community. He’s got a community center going up in Oakland. He’s got a lot of great things and he’s got definitely a great chapter ahead of him.”

You can hear the entire interview here, starting at 1:20.

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