New York Giants wide receiver Brandon Marshall may be new to the Giants but he is not new to expressing his opinion and he did just that on Monday morning. Marshall, a guest at the league’s annual meeting per the request of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, took an opportunity to address NFL brass that included owners, coaches and executives.
Marshall encouraged owners to continue the “My Cause My Cleats” program which allows players to wear custom shoes to promote their favorite charity for one game. Marshall indicated that he had pitched more programs to help humanize NFL players.
“[My Cause My Cleats] gave the world and our fans in the NFL the opportunity to see that we are people and we’re not just gladiators,” Marshall said to the media (h/t ESPN). “And it humanized us. It not only gave people outside of the game the opportunity to see who we really are but also the owners and executives and even players.
“We want to continue to get more of that. If we want our game to continue to be on that track, that it’s on being super successful and being a pillar in our community and being a thread in our community, we have to make sure our relationship as players and owners is good.”
Marshall also spoke about the Oakland Raiders approved relocation to Las Vegas:
“It’s business, right? It’s the entertainment business. They may not like me saying this, but Las Vegas is a beautiful place.
“A lot of times when you think about Las Vegas, you just think about the strip, right? But I just want to make sure that the players are protected. I think that it can be a tough place for a kid coming out of college, so that locker room has to be strong, because there is so much there. There is access to so much. It’s a strip, but it’s really big, and it can be overwhelming at times for young, immature players.”
Marshall also commented on his new teammate and wide-receiver partner, Odell Beckham Jr.
“I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum. I’ve been a problem, and I also have a solution. I have a wealth of experience. I just think organically and naturally, whenever he needs — not only him, but any guy in the wide receiver room — whenever they need to pull from that, they’ll do that in a natural, organic way. We got to remember that Odell is what, 23, 24 years old. We all have our own journey. He’s the ultimate competitor. I want him to stay exactly where he’s at. It’s just easy for us as wide receivers and football players to cross that line. But he’ll grow.”
Marshall’s address on Monday morning resonated with many in attendance and even garnered high praise from San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York who tweeted: “easily the best speech I’ve heard at an NFL meeting.”