Marshawn Lynch and Marcus Peters Are Very Close, Was Lynch Trying to Protect Him?

Marshawn Lynch was ejected in the first half of tonight’s game versus the Chiefs after running onto the field from the bench during a skirmish and shoving an official. As bizarre as this incident was, it is being speculated by many that Lynch was not trying to protect his quarterback David Carr, who’d been the recipient of a late hit from Marcus Peters, but Peters himself.

Deion Sanders suggested at halftime, and The Athletic Bay Area writer Marcus Thompson suggested on Twitter, that Lynch went out there to have Peters’ back. If you watch the video, Lynch does come running in to hold off his own teammates. He doesn’t go running in to go at Peters or other Chiefs.

It is a matter of public record that Lynch and Peters, who both grew up in Oakland, are very close; according to Lynch’s former teammate Richard Sherman, as well as Bengals RB Joe Mixon, Lynch and Peters are cousins:

Whether or not they are related, Lynch and Peters are definitely close; in the lead-up to the NFL Draft, some saw their relationship as a “huge red flag” for Peters. Here is a story where Peters spoke about their closeness.

And now the reports of Lynch leaving the locker room before his teammates returned for halftime begin to make more sense. Given that he’s not been producing on the field, will he still be a Raider on Thanksgiving?