Marshawn Lynch used to crush a shot of Hennessy before every game

Getting absolutely merked by a steamrolling Marshawn Lynch may already be one of the more demoralizing things that can happen to a world-class athlete, but absorbing that punishment while simultaneously getting a big old whiff of Cognac breath must be extra deflating.

Chances of the latter happening to anyone lining up opposite of Lynch during his famed NFL career were apparently quite high. Lynch recently described his fondness for the pregame sauce to Peyton Manning during a recent ESPN interview, citing shots of Hennessy as his go-to (as in before every single game) superstition during his illustrious playing career.

“My superstition was that I needed to have maybe a shot, a shot-and-a-half, before every game.” Lynch told Manning during a recent episode of “Peyton’s Place.”

The nonchalant manner in which Lynch answered the question is textbook, and his reaction when Peyton asked him “what kind” of shots — as if he was thoroughly offended by Manning’s lack of research on the matter — was even better.

Not gatorade, not that Toradol trash — Hennessy. That is Marshawn’s oil, his gas, his fire.

Kept cool and safe in nothing less than a backpack, no less. Elite.

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