2018 Mercury 6hp 4 Stroke stuck in gear.

[bonefish]

Not sure what the problem is but the gear lever on the outside of the motor will not shift. It doesn't look like there is any blockage when i follow the rod down to where the linkage it is connected with a pin. The prop will not turn freely, so It must be stuck in gear and not neutral so I can not pull the pull cord to start engine. Any Ideas of what the problem is and/or how to fix? Thanks,

 

[racerone]

Is throttle turned to lowest idle ?

 

[bonefish]

Is throttle turned to lowest idle ?

Thanks, I tried it on the lowest idle, on Start, on Restart and on the highest throttle setting which shows a rabbit. The shift lever seems to not want to shift regardless of what the throttle level position is.

 

[bonefish]

Any other ideas what the problem might be and how to fix it?