Bay Area

Oakland native and former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch is a new owner of the Oakland Roots.

Friday morning, ESPN’s SportsNation reported that Lynch has joined the club’s ownership group who will be kicking off the season as a member of the USL Championship, the second tier of the U.S. Soccer pyramid.

The Roots also confirmed the new via a statement on their website:

Oakland Roots Sports Club announced that Marshawn Lynch – NFL superstar, entrepreneur, philanthropist and proud Oakland native – has joined the club’s ownership group. The graduate of Oakland Tech, former Cal Berkeley player and Super Bowl champion, joins Oakland Roots as an owner and partner on a new initiative to bring financial literacy and freedom to Oakland families.

“Growing up in The Town, we always could count on the pro teams in this area but with most of those ones that I grew up with gone, I knew the minute I heard about the opportunity to join Oakland Roots, it wasn’t just something I wanted to do, it was something I had to do,” said the new Roots owner.

OaklandRootsSC.com

Additionally, the Roots and Lynch will become involved with Goalsetter, a family money app designed by Oakland native Tanya Van Court to bridge the wealth gap between BIPOC and white Americans by teaching kids financial literacy and the value of saving.

USL also confirmed the news.