Tag: Denver Broncos (Page 36 of 56)

Marshall told police in ’07 that he “hated Denver”

During an arrest in October of 2007 for suspicion of DUI, Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall reportedly told police that he hated Denver and that he hoped that the team would trade him.

“I hate Denver. I hope I get traded. I hate this f******* city,” an officer wrote in the police report.

The report was only made public after CALL7 Investigators asked for it, after receiving a tip about the report’s content. Read full report — WARNING: Graphic Language
“What we know about Brandon Marshall is he is a supremely talented football player on the field with the habit of getting in trouble off the field,” said Adam Schefter, NFL correspondent for ESPN.

The information is particularly relevant because Marshall has recently asked for a trade.

“I think that we’ve known Brandon Marshall is interested in a change of scenery, and I think these comments show that that change of scenery is probably not very new in his thinking its something that dates back to his arrest,” Schefter said. “These are some deep-seated feelings that came out during this incident and now they have come to light.”
Marshall also berated police for stopping him and not finding the killer of fellow Bronco Darrent Williams.

“Why aren’t you guys out looking for Williams’ killer?” the report says.

Marshall’s situation in Denver just went from a player who is frustrated over his contract, to a player that has wanted out for some time and will stop at nothing to do so. He may be upset about the fact that his entering the final year of his rookie contract and the way the team’s doctors handled his hip injury, but the real crux of the issue is that he just wants out.

Yesterday, ESPN.com reported that the Broncos were going to stand firm and not trade Marshall. They don’t want to set a precedent where whenever a player demands a trade, they give in a la Jay Culter. But they’re dealing with an extremely disgruntled receiver right now and chances are that if he wants out, he’s going to be willing to sit out training camp and push Denver into a tight corner.

Broncos to stand firm, keep Brandon Marshall

Roughly two weeks ago, wide receiver Brandon Marshall asked Broncos’ owner Pat Bowlen in a private meeting to be traded. A few days later, Marshall’s agent said that Denver would abide by the receiver’s wishes and do everything they could to deal him.

Turns out the agent was wrong.

According to a report by ESPN.com, the Broncos are standing firm on not trading the disgruntled Marshall, even though that might mean him skipping training camp next month and sitting out the first month or so of the regular season.

After the Jay Cutler fiasco, the Broncos don’t want to set a precedent for allowing players to bolt just because they don’t like their contract, their role with the team, or the stadium’s hot dogs. They learned their lesson with Cutler and aren’t about to allow Marshall to throw a temper tantrum and get away with it.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that Denver’s stance won’t backfire. Marshall is extremely upset with the way the team’s doctors treated his hip injury and doesn’t want them handling his rehab. He’s also furious about his contract situation, as he’s in the final year of his rookie deal that’s paying him roughly minimum wage in terms of NFL money.

Somebody will have to cave for this situation to get resolved. If Marshall loves football and doesn’t want to miss any games, then he’ll show up at some point this summer. But if he cares more about the money, then he might force the Broncos into making a decision about whether or not to trade him so they could get compensation for when he bolts at the end of the year via free agency.

King: Broncos setting dangerous precedent

Peter King of SI.com writes that the Brandon Marshall situation in Denver is starting to resemble what happened with Jay Cutler a couple months back.

The Brandon Marshall story is starting to smell like the Jay Cutler fiasco, with one exception: The Broncos are clamming up. During the Cutler thing, Josh McDaniels was an open book, talking to me four or five times at length about everything — how he had nothing against Cutler, how he didn’t offend him (in his view), about how he wanted Cutler to be his quarterback. But Monday night, I texted McDaniels, who is a big texter. Nothing. Texted his assistant and got back that the coach is laying low and had nothing to say for now. Texted Marshall, who’s also a texter. Nothing. So this one’s going to be contested below ground, it appears.

My feeling is the Broncos will play a harder brand of hardball with Marshall, in part because he’s the second star trying to shoot his way out of town in four months. Owner Pat Bowlen might regret how precipitously the organization acted in rushing a franchise quarterback out of town if this stalemate with Marshall lasts into training camp.

Yes, Marshall wants to be traded. Now the interesting story is whether Denver will acquiesce and, if so, what sort of precedent that will set. Cutler seemed to write a how-to book on The Right Way To Force a Trade. If the Broncos deal Marshall, the next time a star feeling underpaid (Ryan Clady, Ryan Harris, Eddie Royal, i.e.) wants out, the Broncos will have shown they’re weak and ineffective with unhappy players. That’s why I feel strongly they won’t let Marshall out, and they’ll let him sit as long as he wants, even if that means he won’t be in camp by September.

The Broncos are an absolute mess right now. They fire Mike Shanahan and replace him with McDaniels and in the ensuing months, they’re essentially forced to trade their starting quarterback and might have to do the same with their most potent offensive weapon. Granted, this isn’t all McDaniels’ fault, but clearly players are taking issue with the way the team is being run right now.

And King’s right – the team might be setting themselves up for future problems down the road.

Marshall’s agent says Broncos will try and trade receiver

Brandon Marshall’s agent has confirmed that his client requested a trade from the Broncos and has said that the team will do everything in its power to accommodate the receiver’s wishes.

This news doesn’t mean that the Broncos will go through with a trade, of course, but it might offer a glimpse into their thought process regarding this potentially ugly situation with Marshall.

Denver certainly doesn’t want to lose another key piece to its offense after trading quarterback Jay Cutler to Chicago a couple of months ago, but it might have little choice. Marshall has a history of off-field incidents and if the team doesn’t want to risk paying him what he wants, a trade might be in everyone’s best interest.

The problem is getting max value for Marshall, who certainly is productive on the field but as previously noted, is a major liability off it. He’s a Pro Bowl caliber player but the Broncos might not get Pro Bowl caliber compensation for him when they pick up the phone and see who’s interested.

Speaking of which, Rotoworld speculates that the Ravens could be interested if the Broncos eventually do trade Marshall. Baltimore did nothing to upgrade its receiver corps this offseason and if they’re willing to pay, Marshall could be a nice addition. Don’t forget that the Ravens were the team that traded for Terrell Owens a couple years ago before he made a stink and eventually wound up in Philadelphia, so clearly GM Ozzie Newsome isn’t afraid to take a risk.

Report: Marshall wants out of Denver

Or so says NFL Insider Adam Schefter (via Rotoworld):

NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on 850 KOA in Denver that Brandon Marshall asked Broncos owner Pat Bowlen for a trade during their meeting Friday.

Per Schefter, Bowlen asked Marshall to take some time to reconsider his stance. Marshall is not expected to back down, however, which means the Broncos are right back where they were with Jay Cutler. Though it’s possible that a new contract could assuage Marshall, it’s more likely that the receiver will continue to push for a trade. Perhaps the Bears will be interested.

This is what I wrote over the weekend when Marshall left the Broncos’ facilities with packed boxes after his meeting with Bowlen (I feel it’s appropriate given this latest news):

Marshall is extremely underpaid considering his on-field production. But he’ll have to excuse the Broncos for not wanting to dole out a big second contract to someone who can’t keep his act together off the field. It’s hardly a savvy business decision to guarantee a truckload of money to a player that might just wind up being suspended again in the future. Marshall has already had at least seven reported incidents since being drafted, so he’s hardly a reliable investment for Denver.

That said, if the Broncos don’t want to lose another gigantic piece of their offense, they’re going to have to pony up. Denver doesn’t want another mess on its hands like it had with Jay Cutler, so Bowlen and company need to make a decision regarding whether or not they want to take a risk by paying Marshall to keep him happy.

The Broncos will ultimately have to decide whether or not they want to completely bulldoze what they’ve built and start over with Josh McDaniels. If they trade Marshall, they can acquire draft picks and group them with what they got in the Cutler trade. They might lose in the short term, but win in the long run assuming they can put together some decent drafts (including the one they just had in April). Either way, Bowlen and McDaniels have their work cut out for them.

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