National Football League
Marshall excited for truth to come out
National Football League

Marshall excited for truth to come out

Published Mar. 16, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

Brandon Marshall paused to collect himself a couple times as he talked about joining the Chicago Bears and his bond with Jay Cutler. The wide receiver spoke eloquently about raising awareness of mental illness and the borderline personality disorder that has affected his life so deeply.

After a rocky but productive start to his NFL career, Marshall is hoping for a long stay in Chicago, and he's pledging to be a star on and off the field for the Bears.

''Hopefully, this is not a pit stop,'' said Marshall, who joined new backup quarterback Jason Campbell for an introductory news conference Friday. ''Hopefully, this is where I end my career, and this is some place that I can call home. I am going to do everything I can to be an asset to this team and this community and prove to Chicago that I'm here to stay.''

The Bears acquired Marshall from Miami on Tuesday, sending two third-round draft picks to the Dolphins to obtain the No. 1 target they have been lacking for years. The deal also reunites Marshall with Cutler, a duo that was one of the NFL's most potent connections while they were in Denver.

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But the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Marshall comes with a checkered history, including a nightclub incident just days ago.

New York City police say a woman has filed a complaint alleging Marshall punched her in the face at a nightclub over the weekend. He has not been charged in the incident, which the woman says occurred at 3:50 a.m. Sunday outside the Marquee in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood.

Attorney Sanford Rubenstein said Friday he had been retained by Christin Myles, and they met with detectives for 45 minutes on Thursday.

''She described to them in detail what happened on the sidewalk in front of the nightclub Marquee and told detectives Brandon Marshall hauled back and punched her in the face, hitting her eye and caused her to be violently thrown to the ground,'' Rubenstein said in a release.

According to a statement provided to FOX Sports on Tuesday, Marshall's attorney, Harvey Steinberg, said a fight broke out that did not involve his client or his friends. He said Marshall's wife was struck in the face by a thrown bottle and ''suffered serious injury'' as they were leaving the club. He said Marshall's wife was taken to a hospital and that Marshall ''is hoping to assist authorities in regards to this matter.''

''I think once the process has taken its course my wife and I will be shone in the light that we should be. My wife is recovering. She's better. She's fine,'' Marshall said before a pause. ''Regarding that matter, I really can't go into much detail and I know you guys understand that as far as the legal system. But in due time I think that the truth will be out and we're excited about that.''

Marshall's long history of off-the-field problems includes a fight in 2007 in Denver that led to the drive-by slaying of the Broncos' Darrent Williams. Last year, Marshall's wife was arrested after he was stabbed in the abdomen during a domestic dispute. Charges were later dropped.

In July, Marshall disclosed he was diagnosed earlier in the year with borderline personality disorder, which stems from such things as a negative self-image and a fear of failure. Then, at midseason, he said efforts to keep his emotions on an even keel have hurt his play, and before a Monday night game he claimed his goal was to get ejected before halftime.

General manager Phil Emery and coach Lovie Smith said the organization had done its due diligence regarding the wide receiver, and Emery insisted ownership was ''very supportive'' of the trade .

Marshall made the Pro Bowl for the third time last year with 81 catches for 1,214 yards and six scores. He surpassed 100 receptions and 1,250 yards in each of his two seasons in Denver when Cutler was the primary starter.

''He is a mismatch receiver. He creates problems for corners,'' Emery said. ''The average corner in the league is right around 5-11. There's a lot of them shorter than that. He creates a problem for them from the get-go. ... So we feel like the mismatch opportunities that he brings along with the skills added greatly to our roster.''

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