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Lynch Arrested For DUI; Court Date Set; Date With Commish Next?
Marshawn Lynch was arrested early Saturday morning in Northern California on suspicion of DUI. At this point, however, it does not appear Lynch has been charged.

The arrest was made by the California Highway Patrol at 3:42, according to records provided to the Seattle Times.

A California Highway Patrol spokesman told the San Jose Mercury News that Lynch submitted to a blood test after he was in custody. Lynch was found to be over the .08 legal limit, although no specific number was given. Lynch was weaving his car between lanes and nearly ran into surrounding traffic Saturday before he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to a report released by the CHP.

According to the report, a CHP officer noticed Lynch driving erratically in a white van and had two near collisions with two other vehicles. The officer stopped Lynch, who "displayed objective signs of intoxication," the report says.

After being subjected to "multiple field sobriety tests," Lynch was arrested.

Lynch is scheduled to appear at an Oakland court Aug. 14, a spokeswoman for the Alameda County District Attorney told NFL.com and NFL Network on Tuesday.

In a statement to the Associated Press, the Seahawks wrote, "We are aware of the situation with Marshawn and still gathering information."

Lynch was acquired by Seattle in 2010 from Buffalo, and last season he became the first Seahawk in six years to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season. In March, he signed a four-year, $31 million deal to return to the Seahawks.

As Times staffer Danny O'Neil reminded readers, Lynch was suspended for violating the league's personal conduct policy in 2009 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor weapons charge. He missed the first three games of the season because of that suspension. There also was a well-publicized incident in Buffalo in 2008 when Lynch drove off after striking a pedestrian in Buffalo. He stated he did not realize he had struck anyone, and while he wasn't disciplined by the league, his driver's license was revoked after a court appearance.

The NFL commissioner generally does not suspend players for a first DUI offense, but Lynch's disciplinary record could also be a consideration for commissioner Roger Goodell, who controls the personal-conduct policy.

In fact, it seems all but certain that a meeting with Goodell is in Lynch's future.

Meanwhile, Fantasy owners have to begin processing the implications and possible ramifications.

At this point, we know Lynch is coming off a career year with 1,204 yards and 12 touchdowns in 15 games. I'll remind you that was behind a faulty offensive line, with a quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson, throwing with an injured pectoral muscle and minus the benefit of any field-stretching receivers.

The Seahawks should be a more stable outfit in many ways in 2012.

Matt Flynn should soften up the muscular NFC West defenses for Lynch, who held his own against the smashmouth 49ers -- 107 yards, TD in Week 16 -- and Ravens (109 yards, TD on Nov. 13) last season. With Sidney Rice returning from injury and Kellen Winslow added, safeties cannot commit to keying on Lynch every down.

But what if Lynch misses time to potential disciplinary measures?

Expectations in Seattle were already high for fourth-round halfback Robert Turbin. Now the rest of us might have to pay more attention to the rookie.

According to FootballDiehards.com's Joe Hebert, Turbin is a big, powerful back with an amazing size/speed profile but even with all of that going for him, he never was able to be a dominant back in college. A torn ACL in 2010 may be one reason that his lateral quickness is not that good, so there may be some upside further away from that injury.

Hebert's assessment before Lynch's latest issue?

"If he carves out a niche as a red-zone back, he could be intriguing in redraft leagues," Hebert wrote. "Dynasty owners will be drawn to him sometime in the second round due to his size and speed along with the propensity for Lynch to get complacent. ..."

Or given his propensity for off-field trouble.

Stay tuned. We'll be watching for more. In the meantime, you'll want to check the Staff Rankings Matrix to get a feel for how this issue is impacting Lynch's value (at least on my part).