Brandon Marshall: Race shapes players’ views of overturned Brady suspension
Brandon Marshall is not alone among NFL players in having an opinion on deflate-gate, but the New York Jets wide receiver has interjected the idea that race might be playing a part in how NFL players view the recent overturning of Tom Brady’s suspension.
Brady was suspended four games this offseason by commissioner Roger Goodell for his alleged role in the controversy. A federal court vacated the suspension last week. On Tuesday’s edition of “Inside the NFL” on Showtime, Marshall said that players’ views of the controversy are shaped by a few factors.
One factor is race.
“Let me answer that as a player, I think that there are three different types of players viewing this thing,” Marshall said on “Inside the NFL.” “Number one is the fighter. I think there are guys that are in the fight with Tom [Brady]. When one player’s rights are upheld, all players’ rights are upheld. It’s not about what he did if he’s right or wrong, it’s more about the process. Is it fair? The second [type of player’s view] is the coward. I call them cowards. That’s the guys who are afraid to face Tom Brady. They want him suspended. I don’t believe in that.
“And the last [type] is the race card. There are a lot of players out there that believe that white players, specifically at the quarterback position, are treated differently.”
What is confusing about Marshall’s last statement is that Brady, who is white, was handed down the suspension by the league and a judge overturned it. So this case wasn’t the NFL going easy on “white players,” but an outside ruling. Not really certain what Marshall is trying to convey here other than a general view around the NFL that “white players” and “quarterbacks” – of which Brady checks off both boxes – are simply perceived to be treated more favorably by the league.
This is Marshall’s second year on the show. He described his role as “to give the viewers an inside look at the locker room. I am a player right now. This is not just from our locker room, this is from locker rooms across the states. This is how guys are feeling. This is not just my opinion. These are conversation I’m having with guys.”
Conversations which apparently include talking about deflate-gate.
“It’s just not African-American players.,” Marshall said. “I’ve had this conversation with Caucasian players as well.”
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Kristian R. Dyer writes for Metro New York and is a contributor to Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KristianRDyer. Email him at [email protected]