http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...nfl-domestic-abuse-20140918-story.html#page=1
Brandon Marshall addresses history of domestic violence
By Dan Wiederer
As is often the case, Brandon Marshall felt an urge to speak out.
With his league spiraling through an unprecedented month of crisis and his own troubled past being dragged into the conversation, the Bears receiver insists deeper societal discussions are necessary.
For weeks now, the NFL’s on-field product has had to cede its spotlight to the sobering coverage of players embroiled in domestic violence and child abuse controversies.
Ray Rice has been suspended indefinitely from the league after a winter incident in which he punched his then-fiancee, now wife in an Atlantic City elevator. The Panthers have Greg Hardy’s ongoing domestic assault proceedings hanging above them. The Vikings have opted to ban MVP running back Adrian Peterson from all team activities this season as the legal process in his disturbing child abuse case plays out. And just this week Cardinals running back Jonathan Dwyer was arrested on aggravated assault charges after a dispute with his wife over the summer.
Marshall, meanwhile, knows he was once the player creating the negative headlines, plagued earlier in his career by his own history of domestic violence. Those transgressions have been exhumed this week in various ways. Rather than run from his difficult past, Marshall had a 40-minute news conference Thursday at Halas Hall to discuss everything from his rough childhood to his beef with ESPN to his reaction regarding Gloria Allred’s Wednesday news conference in Atlanta when she used Marshall’s violent relationship with an former girlfriend as a means to attack NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
On why he wants his voice to be heard on the difficult issues facing the NFL ...
“There was a time back in the day that people with influence — professional athletes, entertainers, governors — they were like civil rights leaders. They had a voice. Now, it’s sad because of endorsement deals, because of contracts and because of public approval, we run away from certain topics. Last week I found myself running away from it, too. And that’s not me. You know I love controversy. Because it’s an opportunity, it’s a platform to talk about some of these issues that really need to have light shed on them.”
On the rough childhood that shaped him ...
“I grew up in a house, better yet an environment, a neighborhood where it was volatile. There was domestic violence. My mother was not only physically abused and mentally abused, she was sexually assaulted. And I didn’t understand it at the time when I was a child. I didn’t understand it until I was at McLean Hospital and I was dealing with my own issues that my mom was depressed. My mom was isolated. My mom was an alcoholic. I grew up and I saw a lot of pain in my mom’s eyes. I saw a lot of suffering. And the scariest thing was how my mom was isolated for years. I didn’t know what that was. I thought my mom was just a mean person at times.”
On how the NFL can be a part of creating positive change ...
“My view on the NFL and this current climate that we’re in? I think it’s a shame. But I do love and respect what we’re doing because we all know that the NFL does have the ability to transform lives, to transform communities. We have influence to really shape and mold a culture. So these issues, whether we’re wearing lime green on the field (for mental health awareness) or pink, orange, whatever, I think that’s sweet. Because the amount of awareness and the amount of influence we have can really dictate a lot.”
On why he was upset with ESPN for its updated “E:60” profile on him earlier this week ...
“This is a really tough one for me. It’s really tough because in situations like this, you’re not going to hear people defend themselves. There are certain things where if you get defensive, if you speak your mind, you’re going to be judged and you’re going to make yourself look worse.
“For six or seven years I’ve sat back and accepted my part in everything that I’ve done, everything that I’ve been a part of. And I’ve listened to representatives say, ‘Listen, you can’t win this one.’ And you can’t. There’s no need to try and win it.
Why did Brandon Marshall do that?
Why did Brandon Marshall do that?
Steve Rosenbloom
“But I refuse to sit back and continue to let ESPN or any other network or outlet exploit my story. … That’s what’s so upsetting, when someone can sit in my living room and look me and my wife in the eyes and say, ‘Listen, this story is about what you guys are doing today. The mentorship. This is about your camp, your community weekend.’ And then they use our story and sensationalize it to sell magazines and to get better ratings. It’s time to stop.”
On his support for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after meeting with him this summer ...
“I just wanted to use the NFL’s platform to push my agenda and my cause. ... When we sat down and met it was interesting because there were probably 10 people in the room and we were talking about systems and programs and how we can help our guys. How can we implement different things? And what did I do to change my life?
“And at the end after four hours sitting there with them, talking about all these cases, he kicked everybody out of the room and it was just me, him, (NFL executive vice president of football operations) Troy Vincent and a clinician. (Goodell) had tears in his eyes. He said, ‘Man, how can I help Josh Gordon? How can I help Davone Bess? How can I help these guys? We have this Ray Rice situation.’ He really was concerned. He really cared.
“That’s when I really gained a lot of respect for him because a lot of time we think it’s damage control. Or they’re trying to do this to protect the shield. But I gained so much respect for Goodell. … He kept asking me, ‘What is the call to action? What is the call to action?’ And I’m like, ‘Man, the call to action is just to talk about it. We just need to create healthy conversations.’”
On his reaction to attorney Gloria Allred’s news conference earlier this week ...
“I would love to see how much money she (has) donated to some of these causes because she has a powerful voice. I would love for her to use that voice and use that influence to really help so many people who are out there struggling. And not use it as an opportunity to brand herself and to create a circus.
“There are so many amazing groups out there that are speaking right now and doing some amazing things. But you have something like that (news conference) that kind of overshadows it all. So I was a little disappointed.”
On why the discussions of serious issues need to occur more frequently ...
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“It’s serious. There are some alarming things that are out there. And like I said, it’s not an epidemic in the NFL. It’s really an epidemic in our world. So I would just say to just pay attention. Because the more we talk about it, the more people are going to heal, the more healthy conversations are going to get started and we’ll begin to see things change.
“To be honest, there are some communities and some people who really believe that it’s OK. Some people really believe that it’s OK to be in a relationship where there’s fighting and there’s arguing and there’s yelling. Because that’s all they’ve seen. That’s why I always say that you’re a product of your environment. If you grow up and you see your mom and dad arguing and fighting, that’s what you’re going to believe a relationship is going to look like.
“Now that we’re creating this discussion and now that we’re creating this dialogue and basically saying ‘This is the real picture. This is how it really looks. This is how marriage looks. This is how conflict looks. This is how you deal with it. This is how you communicate.’ I think we’re going to start to see a healthier community.”
cComments
Are we now going to be so unforgiving as a society that we cannot leave past mistakes in the past? Brandon Marshall has learned from his mistakes and has learned from the mistakes of others in his own upbringing. Past is past, and more power to him to be an example for a better way!When they...
PHIL KOBER
AT 9:03 AM SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
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On the issue of physical discipline for children in light of the accusations facing Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who’s accused of beating his 4-year-old son ...
“I’m not going to raise my children that way because I think there’s a better way. I can’t wait for my son and my daughter to start arguing. And that’s an opportunity for me to sit them down and say, ‘Let’s talk about it. I want you two to talk about it.’ Right then I’m going to be teaching them that this is how you communicate. This is how you deal with conflict. It’s not about being violent or yelling or screaming.
“But I was whooped. My grandmother whooped me with an extension cord. She whooped me with a switch. ... We had a drawer that was just a belt drawer. So I just think that everyone’s points and views on things are a little different. And for me, I’m not going to raise my kids that way. But I was raised that way. People in my neighborhood were raised that way. And probably 90 percent of the guys in the NFL probably got whoopings.”