Marshall has no problem working with the scout team while he plays his
way back into Pro Bowl form.
What bugs him is the way the Denver Broncos handled his acquittal on misdemeanor battery charges last week.
Marshall said Wednesday in his first
public comments about the matter that he was miffed a member of the
team's public relations staff told his teammates not to gloat over his
acquittal in an Atlanta courtroom on Friday.
Marshall was told the staffer was
acting on his own in an attempt to be sensitive, but he believes the
directive came from higher in the organization and he suggested the
episode fostered distrust between him and the Broncos.
There's a hazard this latest
imbroglio could lead to an irreparable rift between the team and its
superstar receiver who already is unhappy that the Broncos haven't
reworked his contract or traded him.
"Unfortunately, I think it gets to
that point," Marshall said. "There are trust issues on both sides. It's
understandable. We've got to try our best to move forward."
Trust issues were at the root of the
offseason quarterback predicament in Denver that ended with Pro Bowl
passer Jay Cutler getting traded after rookie coach Josh McDaniels
considered acquiring former pupil Matt Cassel.
Cassel ended up in Kansas City, Cutler was sent to Chicago and Kyle Orton came to Denver.
Marshall, set to make $2.2 million
this season, had hoped the verdict in his trial would give him leverage
for a new contract, and his agent, Kennard McGuire, met with McDaniels
on Monday. Both men have declined to say whether McGuire asked again
for a big raise or, barring that, a trade, and Marshall also
sidestepped the question.
"From Day One, I never asked the
Broncos for more money, and that's from the summertime. The biggest
thing was I really disappointed that … on one of the best days for
the past three years of my life, some of my teammates were (told),
'Don't say you're happy for Brandon,'" Marshall said.
"I felt like we need to sit down with the guys upstairs and try to figure out what's really going on."
So, Marshall and his lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, met with Broncos chief operating officer Joe Ellis, who apologized to Marshall.
The Broncos have declined to discuss their side of the story, saying it's an internal issue.
"Some things you can't control,"
McDaniels said Wednesday when asked about Marshall's reaction. "That
situation, we feel like we've tried to handle it the best we could
after something like that came out. (We're) trying to get everybody's
mind back on football and focus on practice and what we have to do to
get ready for Seattle" on Saturday night.
Marshall made it clear when camp
started that he wasn't happy in Denver anymore, but he said Wednesday
that he had started to come around before hearing about the staffer's
admonition.
"I thought we were moving past that
and it was just Friday when players were coached to say they weren't
happy for me, so it's tough," Marshall said. "It's tough."
Marshall thought he was going to get
traded this summer following a meeting with team owner Pat Bowlen. So,
does Marshall feel like the Broncos broke a promise?
"In that meeting with ownership it
was told to me that they'll do their best to accommodate me with that
wish and I'm still here," Marshall said. "I'm a Bronco and all I can do
is try my best to get in the best football shape and be that player I
was the last three years."
Marshall said he has no ill effects
from his hip operation or the hamstring he pulled early in camp but is
way behind on the playbook, which prevents him from taking snaps with
the starting offense.
Marshall insisted he didn't mind
running with the scout team, though, suggesting: "I really want to take
those reps and go against Champ Bailey, (Andre') Goodman and (Brian)
Dawkins and those guys, so I'm just taking advantage of the talent we
have on the defense."
Bailey and Dawkins, however, weren't at practice Wednesday.
"You can't go out there and take
reps with the 1s if you don't know what you're doing out there,"
Marshall said. "I've got to do my best to catch up in the playbook."
He said he was "not close at all" to mastering McDaniels' intricate new offense and wasn't sure if he'll play at Seattle.