Former NFLer Marshawn Lynch this week was profiled on Showtime’s “60 Minutes Sports,” with the net's Jon Wertheim noting Lynch started his "own brand" with his "Beast Mode" apparel line. Wertheim noted many athletes sign with a "big shoe company, big clothing company," but Lynch "didn't want to do that anymore." Lynch said he had been "sitting on it for a long time." Lynch: "After I just heard everybody, ‘Oh, he a beast, he a beast. Beast mode that. Beast mode that.’ So I mean, I just decided to make some hoodies.” Wertheim noted the hoodies have "become a seven-figure business," and aside from licensing, Lynch has "partnered with Amazon and has plans for more brick and mortar stores." He was in his "second season in the league when he trademarked" the "Beast Mode" phrase. His agent, Relativity Sports' Doug Hendrickson, "didn’t like it at first.” Hendrickson: “(This) 20-year-old kid said, ‘Hey, well I'm gonna trademark Beast Mode.’ I’m thinking to myself, ‘Alright, so it’s going to cost us 10,000 bucks. Do you really want to do this? Is it really real? And are we just throwing money away?’” (“60 Minutes Sports,” Showtime, 6/7).
