Despite his rough and tough appearance and reputation, Marshawn Lynch is one of the NFL’s leading humanitarians.
The running back is back playing in his hometown of Oakland, California this season, mainly because of Lynch’s strong connection with the city he grew up in.
Cassie Nickleson loves Oakland just as much as Lynch does, having opened Scend’s Restaurant & Bar, an authentic soul food spot in 1967. Half a century later, the 80-year-old decided Scend’s would have to close with her retiring. Lynch wasn’t going to let that happen.
Lynch purchased the restaurant in order to keep it open, and will officially take over ownership in August, with no plans to change the menu.
“I’m comfortable with him and I like him,” Nickelson told KTVU. Apparently that stems from a long history in Oakland, when a nine-year-old Lynch bought french fries and hamburgers from Nickelson when she ran a catering business from her apartment.
It’s a happy ending for fans of the restaurant, who’ve been eating Nickelson’s food for decades, and for fans of Lynch, whose return to Oakland has been much celebrated.
(EATER)
