New York Jets: Brandon Marshall, A Player and Man to Admire

By Alan Schechter | Mar 18, 2015

Nov 27, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver

Brandon Marshall

(15) against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Marshall comes to the New York Jets to revitalize an offense that has lacked an explosive threat for many, many years. Marshall brings with him a loaded resume, not often seen from a player in the Green and White. Prior to his injury in 2014, Marshall had been a lock for at least 80 receptions, over 1,000 yards receiving and between 7-12 touchdown receptions. Brandon Marshall has been an elite WR in the league for a long time, and hasn’t shown signs of slowing down.

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There has been, however, the other side to Brandon Marshall. He has had his off the field problems. There is no denying that, and I think Brandon Marshall would be the first to acknowledge this. He has had a reputation in the past of being a problem. One might wonder why the Jets would bring in a player that has had a questionable reputation.

Brandon Marshall has had a mountain to climb. He discovered that mountain in 2011, and has worked hard to get over that mountain. Not only has Marshall become a better person for it, he is no an activist, speaking out and bringing awareness to the world regarding similar issues.

For that, Brandon Marshall should be admired. To be able to improve yourself as a man is powerful. We should all be so in tune with ourselves.

Next: NFL Career

Nov 16, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) celebrates his touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

There is no denying the career of Brandon Marshall. Take a look:

Prior to last year, Marshall was as durable as anyone in the league, hardly ever missing a game. From 2007-2013, Marshall never posted less than 1,000 receiving yards and 80 receptions. Marshall had become a lethal duo with Alshon Jeffery, posting over 100 receptions in 2012 and 2013.

But, through the years, Marshall dealt with some problems off of the field. But he came to learn that he had an inner battle going on. Marshall has a medical disorder, that unfortunately played a factor in his behavior.

Next: Borderline Personality Disorder

Sep 7, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) catches a touchdown pass during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field. Buffalo won 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

On July 31, 2011, Brandon Marshall announced the the world that he had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. I wanted to bring you a little bit of background on the disease, courtesy of the Mayo Clinic. First, a definition:

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental health disorder that generates significant emotional instability. This can lead to a variety of other stressful mental and behavioral problems.

With borderline personality disorder, you may have a severely distorted self-image and feel worthless and fundamentally flawed. Anger, impulsiveness and frequent mood swings may push others away, even though you may desire to have loving and lasting relationships.

If you look at some of the symptoms in the next quote, you will see even more insights into what Brandon Marshall has dealt with:

Impulsive and risky behavior, such as risky driving, unsafe sex, gambling sprees or illegal drug use

-Awareness of destructive behavior, including self-injury, but sometimes feeling unable to change it

-Wide mood swings

-Short but intense episodes of anxiety or depression

-Inappropriate anger and antagonistic behavior, sometimes escalating into physical fights

-Difficulty controlling emotions or impulses

-Suicidal behavior

-Feeling misunderstood, neglected, alone, empty or hopeless

-Fear of being alone

-Feelings of self-hate and self-loathing

If you look at some of Marshall’s past incidents, there are great parallels with the symptoms noted above. “Risky driving”, Marshall had a DUI incident. He had incidents that involved violence. Note the inappropriate anger and difficulty controlling emotions above.

This would also play into locker room problems as well. Having difficulty controlling emotions, could lead to problems in the locker room and with other players.

Did Brandon Marshall just let it sit in his head, and become part of him for the rest of his life? No, Brandon Marshall went and did something about it.

Next: The Treatment Process

Oct 19, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) reacts during the first quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

We don’t know when Marshall was diagnosed, but we know that the diagnosis was brought to the world in 2011. He went through four years of therapy that didn’t make a difference, as written in this article in the Sun-Sentinel. Finally, after three months of treatment at McLean Hospital in Boston, Marshall figured it out.

Take a look at the article to really get a feel of what Marshall went through.

Brandon Marshall learned how to deal with his anger. And it is not coincidental that Brandon Marshall’s legal troubles became much less frequent as the treatment began to take hold. He had a flurry of incidents through 2009, and all of a sudden things got better. Brandon Marshall understood how to deal with his anger, and it has translated into his maturity.

Not only has Marshall improved his life, he is bringing awareness to others as well.

We have all done things in our lives that we regret. Brandon Marshall is no different. It’s not about the problems that you have had, it’s how you recover.

Brandon Marshall has done a lot to recover from those problems. The road ahead seems paved with positivity. Brandon Marshall should not be looked at as a potential headache. Brandon Marshall should be admired for taking control of his life, and turning it around for the better.

I admire Brandon Marshall, and am proud to have him on the New York Jets. We should all have the ability to make positive changes in our lives.

Next: Jeremy Kerley: What's in Store for 2015

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