NFL star Marshawn Lynch made headlines this week for an impressive move that he made off of the playing field instead of on it.
TMZ reports that the Seattle Seahawks running back gave a teenage McDonald’s employee $500 earlier this month, along with an inspirational message.
Marshawn Lynch — Gives $500 to McDonald’s Worker… ‘I Wanna Help You’ https://t.co/mCY8kUhDSs
— TMZ (@TMZ) November 12, 2015
According to the report, Marshawn was first approached by the 17-year-old employee Terrance Downs while the young man was mopping the floor.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Down explained that he simply complimented Marshawn Lynch on his fashionable shoes and sparked an unexpected conversation with the famous NFL star.
“I told him I liked his shoes — navy blue Buscemis — and how I wanted to buy a pair and we all started talking.”
The 29-year-old Super Bowl champion reportedly asked Terrance Downs about his education, as well as his future goals — allowing the young man to open up about his dreams and what he wanted to do with his life. The report states that the 17-year-old fast food worker responded by discussing his love for fashion and the goal of opening his own boutique one day.
Marshawn Lynch is making dreams come true for one McDonald’s employee https://t.co/h7l2J9R2z4 pic.twitter.com/0mALhr0GbZ
— UPROXX Sports (@UPROXXSports) November 12, 2015
At that point, Marshawn Lynch could have easily offered some cliché words of advice or a canned response before leaving the fast food restaurant. However, that is not what Lynch did at all.
On the contrary, he gave the young man $500, with no strings attached. More importantly, his heartfelt words of wisdom that accompanied the monetary gift were even more impressive.
“If you’re serious about getting those shoes, here’s some money to help you get ’em. My job is to continue to see you grow.”
According to TMZ , Downs did use the $500 that he received from Marshawn Lynch to buy those high-end designer shoes.
Chances are that those words of wisdom will last much longer, and prove to be much more valuable to young Terrance Downs than any amount of money or pair of stylish, designer shoes.
Downs said that he even hopes that he “can do the same thing for someone else one day,” according to CBS Sports .
With the impressive multi-year deal that he signed earlier this year, Marshawn Lynch has more than enough money to cover the $500 gift that he offered an unsuspecting stranger inside of a McDonald’s restaurant.
NBC Sports reported back in March that Lynch signed a three-year deal that allowed him to get paid towards the higher end of the running back market in the NFL.
In addition to a $4.5 million guaranteed base salary, the former University of California student also received a $7.5 million signing bonus. According to the report, though, that is just the tip of the iceberg for the man infamously known for saying “ I’m just here so I won’t get fined .”
As long as he plays in 2016, he will receive a base salary of $9 million. In 2017, as long as he plays, Marshawn will receive a $7 million salary, along with a $3 million roster bonus which is due on the fifth day of the league year. That brings his tentative three-year total up to $31 million.
[Image Credit: Stephen Dunn / Getty Images]
