http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...omestic-abuse-allegations-20140917-story.html
Bears' Brandon Marshall still can't escape his past
By Dan Wiederer
The NFL remains under heavy fire with high-profile player misconduct creating a cyclone of negative publicity.
Domestic violence issues remain a hot topic in that conversation thanks to the Ray Rice saga as well as the child abuse allegations against Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and assault charges facing Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy.
And when domestic violence topics surface around the league, Bears receiver Brandon Marshall’s name often gets lifted from the footnotes, his turbulent past including a pile-up of domestic incidents that nearly derailed his career.
VOTE: Is it unfair to bring up Marshall's past allegations?
VOTE: Is it unfair to bring up Marshall's past allegations?
OPEN LINK
Marshall’s public battle with borderline personality disorder; his ongoing push to increase mental health awareness; and his clean track record in his two-plus years with the Bears have been well documented. What has become increasingly evident this week, however, is that the Pro Bowl receiver may never be able to fully bury the violent incidents from his past that others continue to dig up.
Tuesday night, ESPN’s documentary program “E:60” rolled out minor updates on a 2012 profile of Marshall that deeply chronicled his arrest record and experiences with domestic violence.
Marshall took exception to the network’s approach and voiced his criticisms on Twitter.
Then Wednesday, civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred had a news conference in Atlanta, using people from Marshall’s past as a means of applying pressure toward the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell.
With opportunistic timing, Allred demanded the league strengthen its investigation process into players accused of abusive and violent behavior.
lRelated Vikings owner: 'We made a mistake' with Peterson situation
BREAKING SPORTS
Vikings owner: 'We made a mistake' with Peterson situation
SEE ALL RELATED
8
That news conference, on the heels of the “E:60” episode, again redirected the focus on Marshall away from his ongoing reform by accentuating his troubled past.
Wednesday evening, Bears general manager Phil Emery rallied to support Marshall, who’s now in his third season with the Bears with no off-field legal troubles since arriving in 2012.
“Brandon has the full support of the Chicago Bears,” Emery said. “We were aware of his personal background when we traded for him in 2012 and equally aware of the tremendous efforts he made to bring positive changes in his life and in the lives of all the people around him.
“Since his arrival, Brandon has thrived in an environment that has been supportive. He has been a very positive, thoughtful and proactive leader and role model.”
Attorney sideshow distracts from NFL abuse issue
Attorney sideshow distracts from NFL abuse issue
David Haugh
Making it clear Wednesday that she had no new litigation, Allred used incidents from Marshall’s past to call for Goodell’s resignation. She also demanded the league to reexamine its investigative and disciplinary procedures.
“It’s easy just to say ‘Off with his head,’” Allred said. “And fine. Yeah, I’m in favor of (Goodell’s) resignation. But I do not think that alone will solve the problem.”
Allred was joined by Clarence Watley and Kristeena Spivey, the father and a close friend of Marshall’s former girlfriend Rasheedah Watley.
cComments
@jayevans20 I didn't know Tony Stewart was black?? Stop with the bringing race into this OK? I support Marshall and Peterson 100% . . . it's a witch hunt - but somebody YOU has to make it a racial issue. Get a life and quit blaming everything on the color of skin!!
MMFAMILY4
AT 11:27 PM SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
ADD A COMMENTSEE ALL COMMENTS
34
Marshall never has denied the chaos and recurring violence that plagued his relationship with Watley years ago. The NFL suspended him in August 2008 for what the it called “a pattern of conduct.” (His three-game penalty later was reduced to one.) The only criminal case involving Marshall and Watley that went to trial in 2009, ended with Marshall found not guilty of battery charges.
A subsequent civil suit Watley brought in 2012 eventually was dismissed.
Still, on Wednesday, Spivey and Clarence Watley used the stage Allred provided to detail several alleged violent episodes involving Marshall and Rasheedah Watley dating to 2006. They maintained Goodell never took their concerns seriously and failed to investigate the receiver thoroughly or discipline him properly.
Tuesday evening, ESPN’s rehashing of his past on “E:60” with little present-day context clearly irked Marshall. In a series of tweets, Marshall asserted ESPN misled him about the story and pushed to tell it in its own words.
Marshall case another blast to end Goodell's run
Marshall case another blast to end Goodell's run
Steve Rosenbloom
Read one tweet: “I trust Espn to tell my story & they lied to me once again to get my interview. Media exploits & tells thier own stories. Disappoints again.”
Marshall had been asked to be part of the “E:60” update but declined. The network instead included interviews with him that were more than two years old without explicit explanation of that dynamic.
ESPN responded to Marshall’s blasts in a statement.
“This story was originally told two years ago on E:60,” the statement read, “and we felt it was particularly worth telling again at this point given what’s been in the news the last week. Marshall’s story brings an important perspective: the story of a player who faced similar circumstances and through persistent dedication, changed his life, in an effort to regain the respect of fans and players.”
Marshall has said being diagnosed as having borderline personality disorder was a catalyst for his apparent turnaround.
The receiver’s pursuit of treatment for that as well as his foundation’s efforts to stimulate mental health awareness have been a big part of Marshall’s upturn.
Two weeks ago, on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL,” he discussed his personal experiences with domestic violence, pushing to move beyond that past.
“I come from an environment where it wasn’t the family that prayed together, stayed together,” Marshall said. “It was the family that fought against each other stayed together. I saw women as the aggressors. I saw men as the aggressors. And I think the first half of my career really painted a picture of me being a product of my environment.
“I’m just thankful that now I’m in a position where I can take my story and tell these guys, ‘Listen, man, you don’t have to be a product of your environment. That is the wrong path.’”