Marshawn Lynch Assisting Cal in Down Under Season Opener

Just because he’s done with the NFL, doesn’t mean he’s done with football. The enigmatic Marshawn Lynch was back in pads and cleats this week, playing the role of scout team running back for his beloved Cal Golden Bears ahead of their season opening clash with the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors in Sydney, Australia this weekend.

By the sounds of things, “Beastmode” wasn’t expected to take the field with the team during practice on Tuesday, but apparently couldn’t stand to simply watch from the sidelines.

“He came out to practice, watched practice, actually suited out and took a couple reps as the scout-team running back,” head coach Sonny Dykes told ESPN.

No word yet on how hard Lynch went at the young bloods now wearing his Cal colors. The man was tough enough to bring down at the professional level, let alone when facing an unranked college defense featuring few, if any, legitimate NFL prospects.

Lynch never gave the impression that he was exhausted by his career as a football player, only with the media that so perturbed his introverted personality. Even battling a number of injuries in 2015, Lynch still looked to have some juice left in the tank, and remained the consummate teammate even when he couldn’t dress on game day.

In true Marshawn fashion, he symbolically announced his retirement on Twitter during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 50; no doubt hoping to bypass the media hoopla while the nation’s attention was focused on something bigger.

Lynch remains tightly involved with his former college program. Last week, he played an influential role in recruiting running back Biaggio Ali Walsh, grandson of the recently deceased Muhammad Ali, for the 2017 season.

Considering he has made it his life’s mission to give back to the city of Oakland, perhaps some trips out to Berkeley a few times a year would suit Marshawn nicely in his post-football life.