How tough is Marshawn Lynch? He cracked Roman Harper’s helmet

Marshawn Lynch hadn’t played football for a couple months before last weekend’s NFC divisional playoff game, but he was as tough as ever.

There was no signature “Beast Mode” run, but don’t bother telling the Carolina Panthers that Lynch wasn’t his normal self. Panthers safety Roman Harper can offer his broken helmet as proof.

Lynch cracked Harper’s helmet, according to the longtime NFL safety. He posted a video of his broken helmet on Instagram as proof:

NFL helmets don’t just split like that. They’re built to sustain many massive hits. And Lynch still hit Harper hard enough to break his helmet. 

Nobody really knows what will happen with Lynch now that the Seahawks’ season is over. He dealt with a lot of injuries this season, he wasn’t as effective as he usually is, the Seahawks saw rookie Thomas Rawls emerge in his absence and Lynch is scheduled to make a lot of money next year. Even Seahawks coach Pete Carroll admitted he didn’t know if Lynch would be back. And Lynch has threatened retirement before, and maybe he’s just ready to step away after a great career and a rough season.

NFL defenders won’t mind if they don’t have to tackle Lynch again. Harper will offer his broken helmet as proof of that.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab