Brandon Marshall needed to maintain control and focus his message.
Not so much.
In a rambling discourse that took up nearly an hour Thursday, the Chicago Bears wide receiver tried to shame victims, contradicted himself about punishment, admitted he knew nothing about the NFL high-profile physical abuse cases that included horrifying video and pictures, and tried to lobby for a statute of limitations for his own abusive assaults.
Awful.
If I missed Marshall apologizing for his actions during his rambling discourse Thursday at Halas Hall, then I apologize. There was so much said that shouldn’t have been.
Like, almost all of it.
Marshall was mad at ESPN. That was his motivation for the news conference. Anger, however, can leave you unfocused. That was Marshall. That was not the way to deliver an important message.
The potentially substantive message about beginning a national dialogue to change hearts and working to eliminate abuse was lost amid his victimizing victims and self-pitying.
Nobody cares what it cost Marshall in salary and endorsements. He did it to himself, which he sort of admitted.
But if Marshall wanted to portray himself as an example of change — and that opportunity was there — he blew it by careening into woe-is-me and I-hate-ESPN.
Marshall said something about trying to run away from his past last week. Apparently he’s still running.
