The Chicago Tribune might need to assign a full-time Brandon Marshall media beat reporter. Last night was another busy one for the Bears receiver.
Actually, it should have been quiet. I wrote on the Tribune’s site that Marshall was given a scheduled week off from his Inside The NFL analyst job because the Bears played a Sunday night game in San Francisco.
From the post:
Marshall and the team returned early Monday morning. If he did the show Tuesday, it would require him catching at private plane between 5:30-6 a.m.
DeBlasio said Marshall’s absence wasn’t due to him remaining in Chicago Tuesday to get treatment for his injured ankle.
“There are no issues,” DeBlasio said. “He wasn’t here because of the Sunday night game.”
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Ah, but Marshall fans still could get their fix by watching a profile of him that aired on ESPN’s E:60. Actually, the piece by Lisa Salters originally aired two years ago. It was updated to include Marshall’s recent comments on his issues with domestic violence and the Ray Rice situation.
The profile detailed Marshall’s multiple problems with domestic violence and his personal turnaround once he learned of his psychological disorder.
Marshall wasn’t pleased to see a re-air of the profile and vented his displeasure on Twitter.
I got a statement from ESPN late last night:
“This story was originally told two years ago on E:60 and we felt it was particularly worth telling again at this point given what’s been in the news the past 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.”
Interestingly, Marshall did not go public with his complaints when the piece originally aired, according to ESPN.
Also, there were media folks who wondered why Marshall was upset. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk thought the story had a positive tone.
What’s surprising about the profile, given Marshall’s reaction, is that most people who watched it probably came away from it with a more favorable view of Marshall than they had before. The profile delved into Marshall’s history of domestic violence accusations, as any complete profile of Marshall should — that’s part of his history, part of who he is. But the profile also portrayed Marshall as a man who realized he had a problem, sought mental health treatment, turned his life around and developed a strong and healthy relationship with his wife.
Obviously, Marshall felt the piece would have a different focus. But as he now knows, there are no guarantees.
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One more note: The Brandon Marshall media beat will continue Friday. He is featured on this week’s A Football Life on NFL Network. I will have more on the film soon.