For as much as Brandon Marshall talks about his tenure with the Chicago Bears, it may sometimes feel like he still calls the Windy City home.
Last week was no different during a tense interview with WEEI’s “Kirk and Callahan Show” in Boston which resulted in Marshall walking out of the interview.
Covering a variety of topics including the New England Patriots and Deflategate, the discussion over how the now-New York Giant believes race plays a role in punishments handed down from the NFL, causing his exit from the on-air discussion.
However, the outspoken wide receiver had an interesting point to make as the interview began, sharing his thoughts on why his tenure with the Bears reached an abrupt end after the 2014 season:
“One of the reasons why I left Chicago — well, not left Chicago, it was kind of mutual a little bit — I’m tired of people putting athletes in boxes. When you’re on Twitter and you make a comment about policy or you say something outside of sports, the first thing a fan says is, ‘Stick to football.’ And I think a lot of athletes are institutionalized in a way. I want to set the example of while you’re playing sports you can still do things that you love or things that are close to your heart.” – via Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune
This isn’t the first time Marshall has said athletes are put in boxes, making a similar statement to The Monday Morning Quarterback’s Albert Breer in 2015 following his exit from the Bears.
Specifically, Marshall then said he knew his days in the orange and blue were numbered when GM Ryan Pace and coach John Fox wanted to put an end to his in-season appearances on Showtime’s Inside the NFL.
Following his first year on the show, Marshall made it known that the Bears’ locker room was the worst, divided environment he’s ever been a part of in his final season in Chicago.
Could the former Pro Bowler be hinting at the same rifts as he did in 2015 or is there more to the story we haven’t heard?
Knowing comments like this from the open-book wide receiver can come at a moment’s notice, this may not be the last we hear from him on the subject.
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