Brandon Marshall says he prides himself on being one of the toughest players to tackle in the NFL. So the Broncos wide receiver admits to being somewhat flummoxed at being taken down by a couple of things a toddler probably would have little trouble evading.
“The McDonald’s bag and television won this weekend,” Marshall said of the accident Saturday morning that resulted in surgery to his right arm.
Sporting a cast that covered his right hand and ran all the way up to his elbow, the third-year player Thursday spoke extensively for the first time about the accident. At times, Marshall was defiant, saying he didn’t feel it necessary to release information about the accident. At others, he was almost tearful in his remorse.
The contradictions seemed fitting for a man who said he considers himself “a great person,” but admitted he needs to mature — “I have a lot of growing up to do” — and make better decisions.
“Am I a bad person? That’s what it seems to be because I cut my arm and everybody doesn’t believe my story,” Marshall said. “It’s one of those things that any and everything I do, I have to sit down and weigh the pros and cons. Whether it’s walking through the grass and looking for ditches so I don’t twist my ankles. I’m a professional athlete; I use my body to do what I do. So I have to be more careful.”
Engaging in horseplay with his brother Fred during a family vacation in Orlando, Fla., Marshall said he got tangled up trying to avoid a McDonald’s bag lying on the floor and crashed into a TV set. Marshall sustained injuries to an artery, nerve and vein in the arm, as well as to tendons in five muscles. He is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of three to four months.
Marshall insisted the injury was not the result of a fracas.
“It’s not like I was at a nightclub and someone slashed me. No, it was in the confines of a resort with my family.”
The incident was the latest in a series of off-field headlines for Marshall. In October, he was arrested for driving under the influence; his jury trial is set for June. Last May, charges of assault and false imprisonment stemming from an argument Marshall had with his girlfriend two months earlier were dismissed.
Despite the off-field problems, Marshall had a brilliant second season, catching 102 passes for 1,235 yards and becoming the team’s No. 1 receiver.
Marshall said he wrote out in February a number of goals for the upcoming year They encompass wished-for achievements, both on and off the field. To reach the former, Marshall went to Atlanta to work out and spent bonding time with quarterback Jay Cutler and tight end Tony Scheffler. Marshall said he considered that effort “a blessing — we built some chemistry.”
As for off-field goals, Marshall said his arm injury would be considered a setback.
“There’s always room to grow. But when it comes to goals that I’ve written down, it’s not all about football. It’s about me as a person, my personality and me in the community,” he said. “I should never have gotten a DUI. You should never hear negative stuff about Brandon Marshall in the media. I know right from wrong.
“And I’m a great person with a big heart. But it is time, on a serious note, to grow up. My goal for this summer is to be clean-cut and don’t get into trouble. But it’s kind of tough when I put myself in that environment. So I’ve got to take myself out of those environments and just hang around the right people.”
Marshall said his brother is still a member of that camp, if only for reasons of expediency.
“He lives with me in Denver,” Marshall joked. “I can’t use this arm right now, so he puts the deodorant under the (left) arm. He will continue to put deodorant to my underarm until my (other) arm gets better.”
Footnote.
The Broncos signed free-agent quarterback Cullen Finnerty.
Finnerty was on the Baltimore Ravens’ active roster for the final two weeks of last season after first playing on their practice squad. He hasn’t appeared in any preseason or regular-season NFL games.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
