Governor Gavin Newsom knows the value of connecting with celebrities and the wealthy.
Now he is relying on an alliance with “Beast Mode”.
Newsom will host a weekly podcast alongside former NFL star running back and well-known disruptor Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch and his agent Doug Hendrickson. The podcast will premiere on July 15 and will be titled “Politickin'.”
The podcast is billed on iHeartRadio as “an unexpected collaboration” and the hosts are described as “Gavin Newsom like you've never heard him and Marshawn Lynch exactly how you'd expect.”
Despite the title, Lynch said in a brief preview that the podcast will not address politics.
“It’s about building bridges,” Lynch said. “You sit down, you come to the roundtable, we have to figure it out. I need to understand where you’re coming from, right? But you need to understand where he’s coming from.”
“Your approach to politics may be a little different, you know what I mean? You approach yours in a different way. We bring in every side, every walk of life, and we find out what we have at stake.”
What brought together a former NFL player whose on-field exploits (he rushed for 10,413 yards and 85 touchdowns in 12 seasons) were often overshadowed by his quirky, funny and profane personality, and the Democratic governor of America's largest state, who may or may not have presidential aspirations?
More like, WHO What brought them together: Hendrickson is a top NFL agent under Wasserman, who represented Lynch, and has been friends with Newsom since the 1990s.
Newsom and Lynch, who grew up in Oakland and attended the University of California, Berkeley, share roots in the Bay Area. The running back became a star in Seattle, where he rushed for 6,381 yards and scored 58 touchdowns during seven years with the Seahawks. Lynch helped them win the Super Bowl in 2014.
Lynch, nicknamed “Beast Mode” because of his ferocious running style, retired after the 2015 season but returned in 2017 with the Raiders, saying in a tweet: “Had a blast in Seattle… But I'm actually from Oakland.”
He enjoyed a strong season in 2017, but injuries sidelined him for much of the next two years and he retired for good after the 2019 season.
Although prone to making often bizarre and funny statements, Lynch has also been active in social and philanthropic causes. Along with Seahawks teammates Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, he traveled to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake that claimed 300,000 lives to help build homes and schools.
Around the same time, she helped establish the Fam 1st Family Foundation, which describes itself on its website as a foundation that instills “the intrinsic family values of loyalty and leadership to impact the lives of Oakland’s marginalized youth.” Lynch serves as vice president.
This won’t be Newsom’s first foray as a media show host. As lieutenant governor, he hosted “The Gavin Newsom Show,” which aired briefly each week on San Francisco-based Current TV and featured interviews with celebrities and business leaders, especially from the burgeoning tech industry.
