Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall shared his thoughts on domestic violence, alcoholism, his anger at ESPN, his love for his mother and the perpetuation of a culture of abuse during an expansive press conference on Thursday. The entire notes-free discussion also included Marshall's stated decision to raise his kids in a violence-free household. Chicago Sun Times columnist Rick Telander wrote that "it seemed like a link in a devil’s chain being removed."
With the NFL facing broader controversies triggered by Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, Marshall's own history of domestic violence has also been revived.
On Wednesday, Clarence Watley, the father of Marshall's former girlfriend, Rasheedah Watley, leveled new accusations against the NFL for a series of incidents, beginning in 2006, to which she says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell failed to react appropriately.
Doctors diagnosed Marshall with borderline personality disorder in 2011, a revelation he says prompted him to seek help and increase his mental health awareness, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Correction: An earlier version of this story attributed the renewed accusations against the NFL to Marshall's former girlfriend, Rasheedah Watley. The latest allegations are actually from Rasheedah's father, Clarence.