Marshawn Lynch tries to trademark ‘I’m just here so I won’t get fined’

American football player Marshawn Lynch has applied to trademark ‘I’m just here so I won’t get fined’—the answer he gave to nearly 30 questions at a press conference ahead of the recent Super Bowl game.

Lynch, who plays for National Football League (NFL) side the Seattle Seahawks, applied for the word mark on February 18, according to the US Patent and Trademark Office’s trademark database.

The application is to protect a variety of sportswear including athletic shirts, baseball caps and hats, hooded sweat shirts, short-sleeved or long-sleeved t-shirts, and track jackets.

Lynch’s use of the phrase attracted worldwide attention when he went to a press conference ahead of the February 1 Super Bowl match, only to give the same answer 29 times.

He had previously been fined $50,000 for violating the NFL’s media policy, which stipulates that players must be available for reporters during the week building up to a game and after practice sessions.

The running back already has pending and approved trademarks related to his Beast Mode clothing line. ‘Beast Mode’ is Lynch’s nickname due to his aggressive style.

Chris Bevans, who runs the Beast Mode line, told sports website ESPN in response to a question about ‘I’m just here so I won’t get fined’: “We heard from our fans and so many of them were saying that they wanted that phrase on the clothing. This is just listening to the marketplace.”

Lynch’s latest effort isn’t the first time he has attempted to trademark a phrase used during media interviews.

Last year, he trademarked ‘About that action boss’ in the US. He had said the phrase in the only interview he conducted in the run up to last year’s Super Bowl competition when asked about his reluctance to give interviews.