The entire NFL is mourning the loss of legendary coach, broadcaster and video game pioneer John Madden this week. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn reflected on a great interaction he had with Madden from Lynn’s time as the head coach of the then-San Diego Chargers.
From Lynn’s press conference on Thursday,
“I did know Coach Madden a little bit. I guess one of the stories with him is he called me about five years ago, and my phone rang. I answered my phone and I said, ‘Hello,’ and he goes, ‘This is John Madden.’ I say, ‘Yeah, this is Barack Obama, who the hell is this?’ He said, ‘No, this is John Madden.’ I was like, ‘Come on man, who is this? I don’t have time for this nonsense.’ And he goes, ‘Coach, this is John Madden, and I’m calling to ask you if you’d like to be on the Competition Committee.’
I was like, ‘Oh, (expletive).’ After apologizing several times, we had a good 30-minute conversation and I’ve got to tell you, he had so much wisdom. When he talked, I listened. That 30-minute conversation, the first conversation I ever had with him, I learned a lot.”
When asked why he was surprised at the call, Lynn offered this candid response,
“I didn’t know John Madden had my phone number. It just kind of caught me off guard a little bit.”
Lynn accepted Madden’s offer, by the way.