Oakland Raiders RB Marshawn Lynch suspended for homecoming game against Buffalo Bills

Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch has been suspended by the NFL for the team’s game against the Buffalo Bills October 29th. Lynch, who grabbed a game official during his team’s contest Thursday night, is appealing the decision.

"You made deliberate physical contact with one of our game officials as he was diffusing an active confrontation between players," NFL VP of football operations Jon Runyan wrote in a letter to Lynch, according to the league's release. "You were disqualified for your inappropriate and unsportsmanlike actions. Your conduct included pushing the game official and grabbing his jersey ... You were not directly involved in the active confrontation that the game official was attempting to diffuse, nor were you a participant in the play that initiated the confrontation. You were the only player from either team who ran from the sideline to midfield to insert himself into a situation in which he was not directly involved."

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

It’s too bad Lynch won’t be able to suit up in his former home. In 2007, Buffalo made Lynch their first-round draft pick but traded him a few years later to the Seattle Seahawks. In 2016, Lynch retired but cam back in 2017 with his hometown Oakland Raiders. He has never played a game on the other sideline in Orchard Park. He did face the Bills as a member of the Seahawks, but that game was in Toronto.

Lynch played 45 games for the Bills, rushing 687 times for 2765 yards and 17 touchdowns in four seasons. He also added 94 receptions for 670 yards and another score before being supplanted by Fred Jackson. He made the Pro Bowl for Buffalo in 2008.