Rapper and entertainer Snoop Dogg joined NFL Network's 'NFL Total Access' on Thursday to preview Sunday's Super Bowl XLIX matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
Snoop, a Long Beach, Calif. native and avid sports fan who's been known to back the USC Trojans and Pittsburgh Steelers, was pressed to predict the outcome of this weekend's game at University of Phoenix Stadium.
"I think it's going to be a real competitive game," he said. "I like both defenses. I love [Patriots quarterback Tom] Brady and I love [Seahawks running back] Marshawn Lynch.
"I'm just looking forward to seeing a real good game, and I'm looking like, Seahawks may pull it off."
The iconic hip-hop artist donned a wolf-grey No. 24 Seahawks jersey with the name "Snoop" stitched on the back during a preseason game last year at Seattle's CenturyLink Field. He told NFL Network he's a fan of Lynch over Patriots ball carrier LeGarrette Blount.
"You know I like the Blount," he said. "But I'll take Marshawn Lynch on this one."
Snoop, who started his music career in the early 1990's and has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, said he could relate to the way Lynch handled the Super Bowl media presence this past week.
"I get what he's saying because I've been in that position where the media talked bad about me and I just fired off on them, went off on them," Snoop said of his own experience with the press. "So his thing is just not to even engage with them because it's a bad experience 99.9 percent of the time with the media. That's his take on it.
"As long as he does his job on the football field and he's obligated to speak for a few minutes, he's doing what he's supposed to be doing."
Snoop said his favorite line from Lynch this week came on Tuesday's Media Day at Phoenix's U.S. Airways Center.
"I think 'I'm just here so I won't get fined,' that line right there was the coldest line I've heard in a long time," he said. "I may have to put that in a rap song. Thanks Marshawn, that's a new bar."
Snoop also acknowledged how approachable Lynch can be when the camera lens is turned off.
"If you know Marshawn and you see him away from the media, he always interacts with the kids, he always interacts with his fans," said Snoop. "He's a great guy. He's just saying the media usually takes advantage of situations and he doesn't want to be involved with it, and I respect that."
