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- [00:02]
Brandon Marshall
You're listening to DraftKings Network.
- [00:11]
DraftKings Network Announcer
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- [01:03]
Interviewer
Welcome again to South Beach Sessions. Always happy when this guy's around. Brandon Marshall, one of the most prolific receivers ever. Six time Pro Bowler. Six 100 catch seasons in 13 years. Also a bit of a pioneer in both the new media space for athletes and mental health awareness. Before it was popular to be a mental health aware person in sports. Always appreciated your vulnerability. Thank you for making the time for us.
- [01:30]
Brandon Marshall
No, thanks for having me. This is the first time I've been here at, you know, the whole setup. This is beautiful. The team is amazing. Do you really mean what you just said? Prolific? Because are you just, are you just trying to, you know, how are you not?
- [01:43]
Interviewer
You know, you had 21 catches in a single game. Six seasons of 100 catches with no quarterback help. Like your quarterbacks were pretty bad.
- [01:51]
Brandon Marshall
Well, I know my stats, but one of the things you just said is one of the most prolific wide receivers ever. And so now you're putting me in the same conversation as the best pass catchers that ever. You know what I'm saying? Coming into the NFL, I don't know how many. I'm not in the hall of Fame right now.
- [02:11]
Interviewer
It's hard to get into the hall of Fame as a wide receiver. I wish you had had better quarterbacks.
- [02:17]
Brandon Marshall
As a Hall of Fame wide receiver.
- [02:20]
Interviewer
You're right there.
- [02:21]
Brandon Marshall
See, that means you're on the edge.
- [02:23]
Interviewer
That doesn't mean no. I say no. If, if, if the. Do you see yourself as one?
- [02:27]
Brandon Marshall
You do you have a vote?
- [02:29]
Interviewer
I don't.
- [02:29]
Brandon Marshall
Or did you ever have a vote?
- [02:30]
Interviewer
I don't.
- [02:30]
Brandon Marshall
You should have a vote. But if you had a vote, like what would you vote?
- [02:36]
Interviewer
Well, I'm in front of you right now. I can't see exactly.
- [02:39]
Brandon Marshall
No, it's not. No, no, no, no.
- [02:41]
Interviewer
But no, no, no Wait a minute though. I'm not saying no because I don't have the numbers in front of me. Six 100 catch seasons is usually good enough to get into the hall of Fame.
- [02:50]
Brandon Marshall
That was number one in the NFL. You knew that.
- [02:52]
Interviewer
I did not know that that was number one. Well, see, there you go. And you didn't have a quarterback. You didn't have a legitimate quarterb. No one has ever turned this around on me faster. We just started and you already got me in a corner.
- [03:05]
Brandon Marshall
Yeah, yeah, I got you in a little pickle. I turned my phone off. I was going to let you read something that one of the Cliff who was our. And I don't really care at all. Really, I don't. But hearing you say that made me think, does he really mean this? Right. But you know, I was going to turn my phone on and let you read through what our, our. The Cliff Chicago Bears. When I was there, he did all the contracts, right? He was, he was in charge of the salary cap and he sent me this memo of why I should be in. And it was like, wow, this is pretty cool, right? And when you're retired, you know, you see things a little differently. You know, you, you're more grateful, you know, you slow down a little bit. So it's always cool hearing other people's perspective.
- [03:50]
Interviewer
I want to be clear though, I don't have the numbers in front of me to compare you to why it is that Andre Reed or Tori Holt, like I don't have them in front of me. That's the only reason I'm being hesitant, I'm being evasive. Nor am I being dishonest with you. I didn't know, for example, that you, that you were the only receiver with six, 100 catch seasons.
- [04:10]
Brandon Marshall
Well, there's two. There's myself and Antonio Brown. I believe it's. So I'm tied with maybe him and maybe one other. And it's six in a row is the record. It's not just six because you also have Mike Evans. He's done it. You know, it was like, well, he had 10,000 yard seasons, but 100 catch seasons in a row.
- [04:35]
Interviewer
But you say you really don't care. That seems like not easy to believe that you don't care.
- [04:41]
Brandon Marshall
And I can understand why because of, you know, how I started. But basically you said prolific. One of the most prolific wide receivers. You know this. I'm a podcast host as well. You want the best intro, et cetera, et cetera. So I just wanted to see if you really believe that that's it.
- [04:57]
Interviewer
And now where are we on it? Because now we're stuck in the mud and it sounds like you think I don't believe it. And I know, but just, I want to be accurate. I want to have my facts straight when we're doing comparison shop because this.
- [05:08]
Brandon Marshall
Show have a budget for a fact checker. Can we have, there's like, can we get a fact check on that before the end of this show? Can we have someone come in and read him all of my stats and compare them to, you know, you said you know them.
- [05:23]
Interviewer
So you can make the argument. Let's, let's. You're eligible now, so let's make the argument on your behalf with, with the, with the person most qualified to make the argument.
- [05:32]
Brandon Marshall
I will say this right. I had 17 different quarterbacks, okay. If I had, you know, any of the greats are really, really good quarterbacks for extended period time, yeah, I probably would have finished top five in every single category, you know, 6, 5, 2, 3 at the time when I was playing. I'm a little overweight right now. You know, it was, you know, I had a fun time out there competing against the best corners in 101. That's where I made my money. Right. And I prided myself on beating man to man, like, you can count on me.
- [06:13]
Interviewer
Well, it doesn't seem like I've ever met a corner that would be large enough to be able to size up with you. Not in my entire life covering sports would I have seen a corner that would have the body that you do.
- [06:25]
Brandon Marshall
It's so interesting now, now it's going to come off like, oh, yeah, Brandon really cares about the hall of Fame. But it all comes from, it stems from Cliff sending me this little, this memo. And so I went, I did a little research, I did a chat, and the Pro Football hall of Fame. So the wide receivers in the Pro Football hall of fame makes up 10% of all the guys that got in. So it's the least voted position in. Okay. So it's really tough for a wide receiver to get in. Okay. Which I think there's guys like myself and some of the other names that should be in it actually makes our case even more powerful, more meaningful right now. When you look at it, you know, I peel back the layers a little bit more. There's only three guys that are 65 or taller with those type of numbers. So I look at that as well. You know, how is it that, how.
- [07:27]
Interviewer
Is it that you were only a 4th round draft pick? What were the Reasons for that. Did you expect something different there on draft day?
- [07:35]
Brandon Marshall
No, no, no. I think we all hope for something different, but for me, I went to ucf. I think it's just part of my journey, my process. I went to ucf. Kind of a late bloomer. Like when I was Little League, I dominated. But then when you get to high school, if you're not in the right situation, the right environment, right, Go to the right school, all that stuff matters. If I played at University of Miami or if I went to Florida like I was hoping for, maybe I went first or second round, maybe, who knows? But I think my, my journey was perfect for me. And so going at going to University of Central Florida and only having one real dominant year my junior year, I played safety, right? And then my senior year is when I had my breakout. But, you know, who are we playing against? Tulsa.
- [08:21]
Interviewer
You're a big safety. That's a big safety. That's a big, big hitting safety.
- [08:25]
Brandon Marshall
Yes, yes, yes. That would have been fun. That, you know, that's. So my dream school was the University of Florida. You know, when I was in fourth grade, I had this vision, this dream of being a Gator. And I got that opportunity my senior year in high school, went on a visit. Coach Spurr, that's when he went to the then Washington Redskins and then insert Ron Zook. So Ron Zook had me as an athlete. And so they brought me in and he offered me at safety. And I just looked at him on that Sunday at the end of my recruiting trip in his office, I was like, coach, man, you can put me anywhere on the field after camp. You just give me, give me till through camp to prove to you that I can play wide receiver. If I don't, you can put me anywhere in the field. And he looked at me and he was just staring for a few seconds. My father sitting next to me, he said, do you want to be a Gator or not? And I just looked at him and I looked at my pops and I said, thanks for the opportunity. I think I'm going to go to ucf.
- [09:32]
Interviewer
You told him that right towards the hall?
- [09:34]
Brandon Marshall
Yes, I told him just like that. And that was probably the first big boy decision I had to make. This is my dream as a fourth grader. When I was kind of getting emotional, talking about thinking about the journey, right? We used. I'm from Pittsburgh, so my father, he loved driving. So we would drive 17, 18 hours from Pittsburgh back down to Florida. And when my father realized my dream and what I wanted to do, and where, you know, he would wake me up four in the morning. There was one particular time. Four in the morning, we're on the road. He shakes me. He says, son, son, wake up, wake up, wake up. And I'm like, what? What? He said, look, he said, you're on campus. I'm like, man, you know what that did for me, walking around campus as a fourth grader, four in the morning, you know, looking at the field, looking at the dormitories, looking at where they work out, looking at where they eat, Just me and my dad, right? And so to get in that situation, and then you have to say, man, I know I can play safety, but I think what's best for me right now is a wide receiver. I know it's best. Like, I felt that.
- [10:42]
Interviewer
Well, you were right.
- [10:45]
Brandon Marshall
He was right, too. I would. That conversation about hall of Fame people go, look at this. This is crazy. I don't. There's never. There's not a podcast that I talk like I've ever talked like this about my career. I don't know what's happening. Maybe I'm just getting old. But he was right, too. I believe that I would have had a better NFL career at safety. I just didn't want to deal with the Stingers. That's the only reason why. It's like, I don't want, like, man, you hit and you got that Stinger, that sensation to go down your hand, and you gotta wait, you know, five, 10 minutes for that feeling.
- [11:18]
Interviewer
Wait a minute. You think you would have been a better safety than you were as a wide receiver?
- [11:23]
Brandon Marshall
Yeah, I think I would have been up there with. Cause I was a ball hawk. You know, I was a ball hawk. I was a playmaker, and my very good football iq. So I can see everything. You know, I would say that would have been more like a AD Reed type. Okay, I would have been more like an AD Reed, but the game would have. I would have played the game a little different. So to me, I would have been up there with, you know, the best safeties for me is Troy Palomalu and Ed Reed. And then we have Sean Taylor in that discussion. And then you can put some of the. You know, some of the guys like Brian Dawkins and there's so many others, I think I would have been up there with those three. Sean Taylor Reed and Troy Palomalu, and my name would have been in there.
- [12:10]
Interviewer
You mentioned your father. What can you tell us about the relationship with your father and where and how he imprinted you the most so.
- [12:19]
Brandon Marshall
Where it stands now is, you know, our relationship is tough. It's. It's not where it needs to be. I don't know if I'm ready to have that conversation publicly. I talk about it sometimes, but I don't never go into details, right? Like, he was my hero growing up. People ask me all the time, you know, who did you look up to when you. You know, when you were little, when you were playing ball, what football player impacted you the most? And it really. The answer is my father, Right? Like, where I come from, when I walked out the house, everybody always reminded me how phenomenal and prolific my father was, you know, and that's the truth. But I also admired Barry Sanders. Like, if I had to give a name, I'm going say Barry Sanders. That's why I played the game the way I played the game. I was a running back growing up. But the real answer is my dad. Like, I looked up to my father. You know, we came from a tough environment, you know, in Pennsylvania, we're at the east side of Pittsburgh. It's the. Where I grew up is the. The poorest county in all of Pennsylvania. So you go to Philly, Pittsburgh, like, where I grew up is really tough. And so I. You know, that's the environment. A lot of times, you know. You know, if you want to get to know somebody, just look at their childhood, look at the environment they grew up in, right? So I'm sure we can get into. We'll get into this. It's like, well, why did he make the decision that he made? Or why did he do that? Or why does he act that way? And it's like, do you know where that guy comes from? Do you know what he's dealing with now? It's not on us. We can't control what happens to us, but we do control how we respond to it. So as a young man, when you start getting, you know, older and you're maturing and you start getting into the world and you're 22, 23, 24, and you're making these decisions or you're dealing with these consequences, you can't look back and say, well, you. I'm from Pittsburgh. I'm from the poorest town in all of Pennsylvania, you got to say, you know what? I got to respond appropriate. And that's where you get into that mental health stuff. And, like, how do you start working through the trauma? Or how do you start working through some of those challenges? But it's a. It's a forever thing, right? Like, it's a journey for all of.
- [14:35]
Interviewer
When you say tough environment, though, what are the details that you're thinking of?
- [14:40]
Brandon Marshall
I mean, everything that you would see. Watch Snowfall on. Have you ever seen us? Oh, you would love it. What kind of shows do you watch?
- [14:49]
Interviewer
I'm sorry. Don't judge me.
- [14:50]
Brandon Marshall
Okay, so drug dealing, you know, killing, all of that stuff, like gang banging, all of that. And that's not a unique story. 80% of the league come from these same environments. Right. So it's a universal thing for a lot of our athletes. Right. Coming from those type of environments.
- [15:15]
Interviewer
But how did it form you? Like what? I'm not looking to do poverty porn here. I'm just looking at the things that shaped you. When you say, these are. Look, we're all products of our environment.
- [15:25]
Brandon Marshall
My pain, my sadness gives me my strength. My strength ruined my mind, body and soul. I've been trapped all my life, not by man or cages, but by my own emotions. Where I've been while traveling inside myself can be summed up by one word. Damn. So actually, when I was hearing you was covering me in the peak of, like, my chaos, when I was playing for the Dolphins, remember?
- [15:51]
Interviewer
Yeah.
- [15:51]
Brandon Marshall
I ended up at McLean Hospital in an outpatient program. And I was there for three months, Monday through Friday, nine to five, I was on campus. And after, I would go to Reeboks headquarters and I would train. This was the year of the lockout, Right. So I had this whole off season, but I also was willing to walk away from the NFL while I was working on myself. And I would write when I would get to the root of something. So you asked the question, you know, how did it shape me? How did it mold me? It made me the football player that I was. That's why I was so great. But then once I walked in a locker room or left the facility, you. I didn't have that switch. I didn't have the skills or the tools to be able to just breathe. You're not fighting right now. You're not in survival mode. That works on the field, but it doesn't work in relationships. It doesn't work in this environment. So dialectal behavior therapy was a blessing for me. Mentalization therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, one on ones with the great Dr. Gunderson. Right. And then before that, just a clinical evaluation to see what's going on.
- [17:02]
Interviewer
You weren't doing much in the way of introspection before that. When you describe it as chaos, when you describe this is the chaotic time were you doing introspection? That was I imagine you were doing some thinking, but not necessarily learning or knowing the things you needed to know about yourself.
- [17:19]
Brandon Marshall
This is why a lot of us, I would say high performers, you know, suffer. And let's be specific here on athletes because I don't want to just put stigma around the athlete. But yeah, the introspective work was how do I become a better football player? I'm watching film, you know, how do I run that route better, how do I get stronger, how do I get faster? That's what consumes you. And that's why a lot of us struggle is because our identity is wrapped up in that or we think that's who we are. Right. So no, it wasn't until I fell flat in my face and listening to you guys hold me accountable or, or talk about, you know, me or in the situations the way y' all did. And that's what makes you look in the mirror when you're watching you on espn. It's like that's the worst thing you could hear when you, when you fall on your face or you just got arrested or something happened and then you turn on espn. It's like, is it how it goes? Whatever it is. And then it's like Brandon Marshall, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It's like you, you sit in there like holy leash. Like that is like an outof body experience when you're watching the world talk about you. Good and bad too. That's cool too. When it's like, oh, Brandon Marshall, you made the top 10 highlights, etc. Etc. But then when it's like you see your mug shot up there, it's like, woo.
- [18:47]
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- [19:59]
Brandon Marshall
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- [20:29]
Interviewer
So what was going on in your life then? Do you regard the Miami time as the hardest time during the professional time, or is there another time that you view as more chaotic than that?
- [20:40]
Brandon Marshall
Well, now, looking back on my whole, my entire NFL career was. I mean, it was rocky, it was up and down. I don't think I ever enjoyed it, you know, like to the fullest because I was always dealing with something, fighting something, right? But Miami, I would say, was the most impactful and the beautifulest moment because that's when, you know, I actually went to McLean and that's when I was like, oh, you know, football is the platform, but not my purpose. Let me go do this work. And that's when I found my purpose. And that's the mental health stuff.
- [21:18]
Interviewer
As soon as you got there, like you get on campus and now some of the stuff that's been troubling you has a name, right? Like, you feel less lonely with it.
- [21:25]
Brandon Marshall
That's right, 100%. And it was, you know, the first thing you do is you go through a neurological evaluation or, you know, neurological evaluation, clinical evaluation, to see what's going on with your brain or, you know, you know, that's where they see if you, you know, maybe living with something, right? Anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, so many things out there, right? And, and, and then in this particular program, you know, I came at the right time because they had like an event or a lot of specialists on campus and they were doing workshops and seminars and all of that. And I was listening to all the experts in this space, right? This is the number two psychiatric hospital in the entire world, right? And so I was listening to them. But the thing that was the most impactful was there was a panel with all patients, right? Someone that was there for. In the program for six weeks or was there for six months, or almost like alum coming back from six years ago, 10 years ago. And I was hearing, you know, their experience, and that was the first time I was able to put the name to. I was like, oh, there's other people that feel this way. You know what I'm saying? And then I'm seeing, like, oh, you've been here six weeks, and you're saying, like, oh, you feel better or you're stronger or this works. So that was the coolest thing for me, is seeing other people. And that's why I jumped into that work. I was like, damn, no one's talking about it. And came back and I had a press conference with the Dolphins, and I was like, the first time, like, someone in camp, like the NFL Network, and I think maybe even espn, they all showed it, they broadcast it, and it was 20, 30 minutes straight. And I was talking about mental health, and I was talking about my experience, and. And, yeah, it was like, the first time someone in that space like, that talked about it.
- [23:19]
Interviewer
Liberating.
- [23:25]
Brandon Marshall
I didn't look at it that way, and I still don't think it's like, that's my life's work and my purpose. And, you know, it's like, I didn't look at it that way. What was disappointing was. What was disappointing was me doing that. It was like, I knew I had to do that. And then I literally walked off this stage, and I had a teammate pull me to the side and then walk me closer to, like, the door where no one can hear. He said, man, thank you for doing that. I struggle with that as well. And I was disappointed because I'm like, damn, I just told the world I was vulnerable. And you're whispering to me because you don't want one or two people to hear. Obviously, you didn't want to get out in the media, but I was like, man, so that's what gave me the fuel to continue to tell my story and, like, put things in place to help others.
- [24:27]
Interviewer
The combination, though, of football and masculinity seem like two things that would work really against you sharing your vulnerability with anybody. And then there are a whole assortment of people that can't be trusted to behave with that vulnerability the way that you would like them to or to treat it with care.
- [24:43]
Brandon Marshall
Man, that's interesting. Listen to It. People thought I was my coaches, right? Like, they. Because you don't. I start operating differently. I would come into the facility and I'm like, hey, coach, can we talk about. This is my second year with the Dolphins. Remember, I played two years with Dolphins, then I got traded after that second year. You know, I was meditating on the field. Like, me and Ricky Williams is two peas in a pod.
- [25:11]
Interviewer
He loved you. Ricky loved talking to you. He said, finally, somebody who's a bit of a kindred spirit in terms of just being able to express themselves.
- [25:19]
Brandon Marshall
That's right. So I was meditating in the way I conversated or I would communicate was different. Like, hey, when you did this, it made me feel this way. And they're like, first off, it's coming from me, you know? And then second, in that environment, like, what the hell are you talking about? Right? So I would go up to the office instead of asking for the ball and certain things like, hey, let's talk through this. What are you thinking? Let me tell you what I'm thinking, right? Like, they're like, what? You understand? And then afterwards, I get shipped off and people still think, you know, it was drama. It was really. It was like I asked, I said, we just started off 06, and now we're saying we're going to draft a rookie quarterback. Who are we drafting? And so, like, the new regime, like, I was having that real conversation with them. They was like, we can't have this guy messing up Ryan Tannehill. We gotta ship him outta here. Which ended up working for me because Jay Cutler. I reunited with Jay Cutler, and I love playing with Jay. And so it worked out for everybody. But it wasn't no real smoke or no beef. It was just, you know, hey, we just start off 06, and I don't want to be a part of nothing like this again. And they didn't love that coming from a player.
- [26:31]
Interviewer
When you said, you get to McClain and you're listening to people and you are listening to how they feel, how did you feel upon arrival? What was going on inside? What was the pain that you're talking about that shaped you.
- [26:50]
Brandon Marshall
So how did I feel? Well, back up a little bit. So my. I was married, and I don't know if I'm ready to talk about it, but it. It. It was.
- [27:05]
Interviewer
You don't have to give me the details to that. I'm not trying to be prime.
- [27:08]
Brandon Marshall
You got to understand the whole journey to un. Like, to. To get to. How did I feel, right? Like, I'm sitting there. And I only went there because I didn't want to lose my wife. That's it, you know? So I wanted. I was there, and that's the only thing I was thinking about. I didn't even understand what I needed at the time or what was wrong with me. I just wanted my marriage to work right. And so it wasn't until halfway through where Dr. Gunderson looked at me, said. He said, you keep blaming everybody else. You know, I was talking about Coach McDaniels, my ex. I was talking about this, my wife. I was talking about the Dolphins, everybody. I'm like, look at. Look at how they treated me. Look what they said. Look what they did. You don't think that my response is justified? And I kept doing this. I kept pointing at everybody else. And I had that breakthrough moment when Dr. Gunnison, he looked at me, said, how did you contribute? And the way he said it, he. He didn't talk to me in a therapeutic state or like a therapist. Most therapists, like, hey, he talked to me like a coach. Was the first time someone in that setting talked to me like a coach.
- [28:15]
Interviewer
And talked your language.
- [28:15]
Brandon Marshall
I wouldn't love this. Rest in peace. But, like, well, maybe I talked about a little bit, but he. He kind of yelled at me. He.
- [28:24]
Interviewer
He.
- [28:25]
Brandon Marshall
He talked my language. He spoke my language. Why is it everybody else's fault? And that shook that. That shocked me. I was like, this is not supposed to be therapy. I'm supposed to be laying on the couch. And I thought you were supposed to just listen to me. And so when he did that, that's the first time I sat back and I listened to him. And then he just kept saying that. How did you contribute to it? How did you contribute to it? I don't care if it's 20%. You need to control that. And then that's when I start doing the real work. So the first month and a half, it was just that, pointing the finger at everyone. Then the next month and a half, it was like, I don't care what they said or did. Let me just dive into what's going on with me. And that's where I had the biggest breakthrough.
- [29:03]
Interviewer
I don't imagine, though, that you would be very trusting necessarily, in a relationship. And I don't know that anybody could be in a good loving relationship if they're not loving themselves correctly either. So, like, there's some of that that you were doing contributing without realizing you were contributing to it.
- [29:22]
Brandon Marshall
You've done therapy?
- [29:23]
Interviewer
Yeah, I've done a Lot of therapy. Because I think it's an exceptional toolbox. Like, why wouldn't I get an expert in mental health to sort of help me provide, to help me have the tools so that I can help myself when I'm not with that person?
- [29:36]
Brandon Marshall
Yeah, that's, that's, that's interesting, you know, minority man and especially the stigma around us and how our families look at it. So that was pretty cool to hear that. Sorry, I didn't know that a part of your journey, but I can hear how you're talking, the questions you're asking, like, oh, he's done therapy, or he's. He knows what he's talking about here. Yeah. It starts with that, like, you have to love yourself.
- [30:00]
Interviewer
But why would you.
- [30:02]
Brandon Marshall
I was just talking to my. On the way down here, I was talking to my business coach, right. And so, you know, basically I walked in, I'm seeing what you're doing. I'm getting all these questions, like, this is so cool. Right? This is the goal for a lot of us, and you are a pioneer in this space. And when you talk about new media, the way I describe new media is more so like athletes, but new media is also you saying, you know what? I'm not going to go to traditional route, the linear route. I'm going to do it myself. And now you look up and it feels like I'm @SiriusXM or, you know, I heart, like, I'm like, whoa, I know these lights. This room probably costs, I'm sorry, to get in your pocket. Probably cost a million dollars to build out, maybe 600,000. But anyways, I was talking to my business coach on the way down here, and I just did one of the coolest things in my. My journey. Right. Like, I'm in your footsteps, following your footsteps. So I just, you know, I, you know, signed this production deal with Netflix. Not a podcast deal, a production deal.
- [31:01]
Interviewer
Congratulations.
- [31:02]
Brandon Marshall
Thank you. But I was telling him, like, but I'm not as excited as everybody else. Everybody else right now. Oh, my goodness. A big deal. So cool. But I'm looking at right now, it's like, I don't look how I feel right now. I'm out of shape, I'm overweight. I got this relationship, that relationship that I need to tweak and get right. There's some certain things in my personal life that I just got to get right, you know? So to your point, it's like you have. Can you trust? But it starts with, do you love yourself? Are you happy with where you're at? And when you get older, you start understanding that none of this stuff really matters, right? It's like, you know, it's like, how are you? Are you okay? Right? And you think, oh, I get more. I get more studio. I get another deal. That stuff, at the end of the day, is the stuff that's driving us crazy. You know, you gotta be right.
- [31:57]
Interviewer
Oh, the chase can have an absence of joy in it if you're not really present in gratitude, appreciation, and sort of like. I mean, because there are any number of problems that'll present themselves every day that will get in the way of it.
- [32:11]
Brandon Marshall
That's right. That's right. That's right. That's everything.
- [32:14]
Interviewer
And if you're competitive the way that you are, and if you're used to conquering the way that you are, and nothing will ever feel like football. Football does. Like, nothing will. How could it. Because nobody gets their identity stripped from them at 35 years old.
- [32:28]
Brandon Marshall
Preaching. Well, that's the. That's part of it is the reprogramming of yourself, right? Like, I mean, to be in the position I'm in now. Like, you go from chasing to attracting. And that was a good one. Yeah. And that's a beautiful. And that's a beautiful thing, right? It's like, I tell my team now, it's like, no, just focus, you know, this is where we're at, and we gotta go do this. And Super Bowl's coming. No, no, no. Whatever's supposed to happen is gonna happen. It's gonna come. But don't chase it. Don't chase it. In the past, ball, or even early on in my entrepreneur journey, all the opportunities. Let's be everywhere. Let's do it. No, no, no. Just. This is where we're at right now. Just own where we're at right now and see what happens.
- [33:13]
Interviewer
Are you gentle with yourself?
- [33:16]
Brandon Marshall
Yes, yes. But I'm. And I'm super protective of myself right now, which causes a lot of problems. Like, you know. You know, a lot of people don't understand. They may say, like, well, why you? You don't trust people? Or, you know, this is a negative way to look at things. And it's like, no, I'm protecting myself right now, which is a version of being gentle. Right? Like, I am very. I'm very protective of, like, who I let in. You know, whether that is, like, just a conversation I'm having or in my business or in my home is super protective, man. That stuff matters. Everybody's not for you. Everybody's not for you.
- [34:00]
Interviewer
I would Imagine you've spent a great deal of your life, though, in a bit of protection mode. No, I mean, there's. If you come from a poor background that has some of the stuff in it that I would find in Snowfall if I were to be watching it the way that you suggest that I should be and judge me for not doing. And then you get to professional football. I don't know how much anyone is prepared for whatever comes with that kind of celebrity. And then you have the other step of leaving professional football and being stripped down to now who are you? Like, I would imagine that you've spent your entire life in a form of protection.
- [34:36]
Brandon Marshall
That's what you're. You're 100% correct. That's what it is, right? It's. It's survival mode. You know, when you come from those areas, you're not necessarily thriving. You're surviving. Step outside. It could, you know, wrong turn or, you know, putting on the wrong color, walking down the wrong street could be the difference between life or death, right? So as soon as you step out your house, you gotta be aware of everything. And then when you make it to the league, that it creates a different challenge and element to it where it's like, you come from survival, so you're already watching everybody and all your moves, but then you make it to the league, and everybody that comes in your space, it's like they're trying to sell you something. They want something, right? So now you create this, like, you know, this. This wall where it's like, anybody comes into your. Into your space is like, who are you? Why are you here? What do you want? And that's not necessary. That's not a healthy place to live in, right? If you're not seeing it through the.
- [35:42]
Interviewer
Right lens, and your mother's 19 when she has you, so what are you learning about relationships in your home?
- [35:50]
Brandon Marshall
Well, I mean, now we're talking about, you know, why do we operate? The way we operate, how we open up this show is like, do you know that kid's journey? So let's put it into this setting that, you know, our sports fans may understand is because an emotional conversation like this or a therapeutic conversation like this could go over some people's heads, right? Some people may not want to hear it, but if I am a owner or general manager and I have to hire a coach, right? We just had 10 job openings, right? The first thing I'm looking for is a leader of men, okay? So, like, the Mike Tomlins of the world is so much needed now because of all these challenges that we're talking about. So organization. So not only Mike Tomlin do I want Mike Tomlin, understand, I need the general manager, I need to hit, I need the owners. I need everybody in the building to understand, like, all right, let's go really deep into this kid's childhood. Let's see how he operates. And that's going to. Or, you know, his experiences that's going to tell us how he operates and how he's going to handle things. You just mentioned my mom. So I bring that back into it, right? It's like, you know, 19, what she went through, right? So she became an alcoholic, and now she's 10 years sober. So she's doing a phenomenal job now. And she's the most beautiful, beautiful women in the world right now, inside and out. But when I was growing up, she wasn't there to nurture. So then you get into the whole conversation of you have daddy issues, mommy issues. Right. You know, the feminine and masculine energy are both critical. Right. You can't just grow up so macho and so, so masculine. You also got to have a softer side, a more vulnerable side, man and woman. But if your mom isn't there to nurture that and your father's not there to kind of build the other side, then you're just rough, right? And so, yeah, like, you know, you brought up my mom, and that's the first thing I thought about was that is like our journey together. But she was 19 and she came from that same environment. My mother was molested it. Right. And these are things that she talks about publicly and openly, and it's her, her story and how she's helping others. But then you, you're. You're a young person dealing with all this and you haven't healed from that. And then you bring children into the world, then what happens? You know, the things that we don't deal with, our kids have to deal with.
- [38:21]
Interviewer
So, and so how did that instruct your relationships, what you were seeing in the home or were not seeing in the home?
- [38:29]
Brandon Marshall
I think the biggest challenge for me is when you're first generation. Not first generation millionaire, not first generation to graduate college, none of that. But like, when you're a first generation aware, like, damn, like, we come from these troubling environments and this toxic culture in our neighborhoods, et cetera, like, there's better. Like, this is how we're supposed to be talking to each other. This is how we're supposed to operate. You try to change it, especially if you're competitive so, and this is why I said I didn't really enjoy looking back on it. I didn't really get everything out of the league, right? And it's sad because that was my dream as a four or five year old. I want to play in the NFL. I accomplished everything. That's one of the things I remember thinking about when I was at McLean House when I first got there and I was sitting there, I was like, damn, I got a dream again. Like, I had this dream in place since I was a baby and now I'm sitting here at 22. Well, I was thinking, at 22, I accomplished everything. I'm not what's next, right? And so I spent my time in the league like, hey, mom, like fighting my mom, you know, in a good way. Like, mom, I think you're an alcoholic mom. No, that's. No, no, we, no, we can't eat like that. We can't drink like that. And I was doing that, you know, in, in all my areas, like, you know, in, you know, my brothers, my sisters, my mom, my dad, like, yo, we can be better, we can be better. And we talk about generational stuff there. And it's like, it takes. We needed some, some experts and some a different approach. I was just trying to wheel that to my family. So I spent pretty much my entire career just like trying to shove it down people's throat. Like, no, we can be better, we can be healthier. And that created a lot of friction in my family. Now, thank God, my mom, me and my mom, we saw and she broke through, she was able to receive that. But there's some fractured relationships because not everybody can handle that. And also what I realized, not everybody want to be better. So why am I, and we people who are in this position fighting so hard trying to teach people how to fish.
- [40:58]
Interviewer
Your drinking, is it learned? Were you having fun?
- [41:02]
Brandon Marshall
Oh, well, I got a dui. But that was just immaturity and just being young and dumb and not understanding a vehicle can kill someone. Thank God that didn't happen. And, you know, so, no, I, you know, yeah, alcohol, substance, right? Using that stuff the wrong way can put you in a position to lose your life, right? Like even Henry Ruggs, right? You have one night out and then you'll drive 100 something miles per hour. You know, a young lady and her dog is gone and now you're behind bars, right? So I think some of that is, for a lot of us, just immaturity. For me, you know, thank God I didn't have any substance abuse issues. And that's where the mental health stuff can get really challenging. Challenging when people are dual diagnosed. You know, it could be. I'm dealing with this, this, and, you know, a substance abuse issue. So when I was at McLean, one of the things that I would do is some of the people in my group that was dealing with those things. We were just like a family. We just hang out. So I had a few people in my group that dealt with substance abuse issues, and they would go to AA outside of the program that we were in. And I went and it was the coolest thing ever. And that's when I was sitting there listening to their stories. And I went and got a pamphlet after, and I said, oh, I think this is my mom. And so that's when I started having a conversation with my mom, like, mom, I think this is you. And she didn't get it right away. I was playing for the Dolphins and I was on date night. I never forget. I was coming down Sheridan and about to turn on 1/72, and then I get a call from my mom, like 11 o', clock, and she's crying and she's like, baby, I need help. You're right. I just finished watching Mary J. Blige's story, and that's me. And I said, wow, okay. I said, let's. Let's do this. And then she ended up going to Betty Ford, et cetera, et cetera. But that was after like a year or two of just like, this is you, mom. This is you, mom. This is you mom. Maybe I just planted the seeds. But then Mary J. Blige's story, which I can't wait to connect them to, I always say that anytime I talk about my mom's story, I can't wait until I'm in position. I can put them two together. It's like sometimes you don't, you know, as a celebrity or an athlete, your reach and how, you know, you bless people. And those are the coolest things when people come to you like, no, no. You really helped me, you know, you really bless me. And so Mary J. Blige saved my mom's life.
- [43:43]
DraftKings Network Announcer
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- [43:45]
Brandon Marshall
Feel your body relax. And let go of whatever you're carrying today.
- [43:51]
DraftKings Network Announcer
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- [43:59]
Interviewer
And breathe.
- [44:00]
DraftKings Network Announcer
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- [44:11]
Brandon Marshall
1-800-Contacts.
- [44:14]
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- [44:44]
Interviewer
Through that part of the journey where you're like, okay, now I have a classification.
- [44:49]
Brandon Marshall
I was diagnosed with borderline personality disorders, bpd. And the best way to describe BPD is like an emotional disorder. Can you self regulate? Right. So now you can see myself out there. I'm in the fight and the guy didn't throw me the ball or something happened. And it's like on the sideline, right? We see that a lot, right? Do you have the skills and tools to be able to self regulate? See, I didn't have those skills and tools the first couple years in my career and even, you know, as a adolescent. So that's where self assessment, dialectical behavior therapy, mentalization therapy, and all the work at McLean, where that worked, helped out at. And there's. It's this emotional disorder, right? And that's. That. That's why you have to learn those things. There isn't any medicine for. It's one of the. It's a difficult thing to treat and some impossible, but if you get in the right program, smooth and bpd, Borderline personality disorder. Like I said, it's emotional disorder, but it presents itself in over like 260 different ways. Go back to Ricky Williams. I ended up at that program because when I, the first day I got to Miami, Run Ricky, Run came out and he had his premiere down on South Beach. And so I remember sitting there and watching that and I was like, oh, that's cool. I was like, that's cool. But I think that guy that he's talking to is the guy that I talked to. Two years ago, the NFL flew me out there to Boston to meet with this guy just to do evaluation, just talk, not even valuation, just to talk to. And then I flew home. That's it. It's one time. Then I seen this guy in this documentary, okay? Now a year later when I'm out there, like, well, that whole year I'm talking to Ricky and I'm like, ricky, man, like, do you think I'm bipolar or something, man? Because I keep coming in, the coach say this BS and then I respond this way, and it's like I can't even control what I'm. What I. What, you know, my feelings and what I want to say. And he's like, no, Brandon, I don't think you're bipolar. I just think you say the things that we all want to say and shouldn't say. Right?
- [47:15]
Interviewer
That sounded a little more like Michael Jackson than it did, like Ricky.
- [47:18]
Brandon Marshall
Right? Well, Ricky talks so soft. No, I know. I don't think he. No, but I'm saying that because. Because Ricky opening up. And then also I had that connection with the same guy in that documentary, and, you know, I started connecting with him and asking him questions. And the. How I ended up there, you know, was because I was having those conversations with Ricky, and I looked at that. I said, man, if this guy in this hospital helped Ricky, then they can help me. That's how I was thinking then, right? Because in that documentary and Run Ricky, Run, we're talking about a guy who just signed for $8 million or whatnot, and then he went to Australia living a tent, right? So I'm like, man, if not knowing how complex all this stuff is, and his story is different because even Ricky, to this day, you know, I think that he'll talk about his diagnosis a little different than I would, right? But that same doctor, Dr. Gunderson, you know, they talked about borderline personality disorder. Boom. And so that's, you know, my journey with it. But look at. Look at the difference. Ricky Williams and then Brandon Marshall, two different stories. That's what I mean by. Presents itself differently.
- [48:34]
Interviewer
But having a name for it, having. Being less alone with it, like, what did it do to have some tools, everything.
- [48:43]
Brandon Marshall
As soon as I got that diagnosis and I shot this whole documentary, and so I have this footage I never put out, but I got this moment in my hospital, in my hotel in Boston after I got the diagnosis, and I called my longtime assistant, Kathy Lee, and I'm like, kathy, have you ever heard of bpd? I couldn't even say it, but the smile on my face, my energy, even in that clip, it changed, right? You can see it, right? And I always say that that diagnosis was 50% of the work. Like, just knowing that there's something that you can label this, and then there's a program or there's work that you can do. I said, oh, this is easy now. Like, I'm used to the work. I'm used to the commitment. So now you're saying I just need to go through these programs, DBT and cbt, all that. Okay, great, sign me up.
- [49:37]
Interviewer
So because you're achiever, you can work, you can. If you can be given tools to apply football mentality to this, you're going to put in the work. What was happening right before that? Did you think you were crazy? Were you being nice to yourself? Were you like, why can't I control my emotions? Do I have anger management issues? Like, what's the self assessment you're doing before this?
- [50:01]
Brandon Marshall
Nothing. Before, everybody was the problem. When I got to the Dolphins, right, just signed the biggest contract at the wide receiver position and it was intense. Like the, the, the. I would say the Miami media was harder than the New York media. And a lot of people say it was so hard in New York and man, Miami was different when I got here and the way I was covered, rightfully so. And I wouldn't say rightfully so. There was some things where it was like, ah, this is a little too much. But it was really tough. So when I'm sitting here and I'm like, ah, now they gave me the money and. And now I can act accordingly because I'm happy, I got what I deserve, right? That was the problem is Josh McDaniels didn't pay me and the way he treated me. So. And then you still have those moments in practice or in meetings, right? That leads to the conversation with Ricky when you're like, I'm going to go in today. I know this coach is going to say something crazy. I just had 120 yards, I just had a touchdown and he's going to try to rip me to shreds of why I'm not great. This offensive coordinators come in and last week he said, you know, hey, sometimes when you make these big acquisitions, it doesn't always pan out. I knew that was a shot at me. Yeah, I know. But you know what? I see it, don't say nothing. And then coach put this BRANDON Devon best 56% sitting here at. Every time we target you 56% completion percentage, Devons at 80, right? Like, yeah, you had this and that. And it's. I'm like, what the. And I take my Gatorade, throw it at the wall and walk out like, why did you do that? And then that leads to, hey, Ricky, do you think I'm bipolar? No, Brandon, I think you just say the things that we all want to say that shouldn't say so. So that's where I started to like, have that, like, I started really assessing and looking at myself and so be. You know, before the situation, I was talking about where it led me to McLean Hospital, I was flying myself up to McLean Hospital once a month, right? And nobody knew it, right? Because after that conversation with Ricky, so I was like, you know, if that guy can help you, then he'll help me. So I start flying up there and everything's going smooth. And then it wasn't until, like a couple months later, he was like, brad, I think you should come. You'll benefit from really coming up here for extended period of time.
- [52:38]
Interviewer
What do you regard as the most joyous time in your life? Is it now or is that. Is joy a struggle for you?
- [52:47]
Brandon Marshall
I think joy is a struggle for a lot of high performers, right? Because you're chasing. There's a lot of highlights in my life, but what I'm excited about now is, you know, just peace, right? Not chasing. So I think the, the best days are ahead of me, but the best highlights. I mean, yeah, I talk about the NFL the way I do, but, man, there were some dope moments in the NFL, right? There were some dope moments in my childhood, right? Like, you know, where I come from, you know, we used to have the, you know, the, like, these are one of my favorite childhood memories. We take our monkey wrench and we pop up in the fire hydrant, right? And you see those old school movies, the kids in the street playing with the water, et cetera, et cetera. So, like, a lot of amazing moments, right? But I, I know my day, my better days are. Are ahead of me.
- [53:39]
Interviewer
You know, I don't believe. And I'm going to press you on this. I don't believe you answered the question about what you learned about relationships in your home because of. You're saying you're growing up, you're feeling quite alone. Yes.
- [53:55]
Brandon Marshall
Well, I didn't know at the time. No, I wouldn't say I grew up feeling alone. I didn't know. I think that. I think when you get older and you go through that therapeutic process and you start, like, that's why I did. I was like, oh, you did therapy. When you start, there's certain things that you learned, and you can look back and be like, oh, this is how my childhood went. What I learned about relationships. There was a lot of negative that I learned about relationships growing up and in my childhood, right? Like, I think that, you know, you know where I came from, and a lot of people in, you know, a lot of people come from that do what I do or did what I did. We think that we have to stay with family. Oh, this is blood. So what we do is, it's like they can cross your boundaries, they can be disrespectful. It's like, okay, we'll move forward. And so that's just not true. I think that boundaries and respect is important in how we treat each other. And if those boundaries are crossed or if there's no respect there, then you should move on from another relationship. Right. And so that's what I learned about relationships early that I had to fix later.
- [55:21]
Interviewer
Do you have something that you're prouder of than everything else? Like, is there something that fills you with self esteem more than all the other things?
- [55:31]
Brandon Marshall
Yeah, I think that, you know, my, my entire journey, like, I, it's, it's tough. But like, like you said earlier, like, first to do this, first to do that, you know, that's a part of my journey. So, like, I really appreciate the journey. And that's what Coach Sparano, rest in peace. He was our head coach for the dolphins. Love him. He was one of the greatest leaders of men ever. And that was the first time I ever heard that saying. And it was embrace the journey, not the destination, which everyone says, but that was my first time hearing that and I really do, man. So all of that. But my kids, I have twins that are 11 years old and I have a 6 year old. They're freaking phenomenal. Also, you know what I've been able to build off the. Off the field, freaking phenomenal. It's not easy, but you know, I enjoy it, right? Like, that's the first time that I've been able to take my mind and use my mind to create what I want instead of my body. Like, you're out there. That's. I don't know. I say it's easy going out there, catching a football, doing all of that, right? But being able to use this is pretty cool. So that gives me a lot of joy. And also it gives me a lot of joy. Now I'm becoming a sushi chef. So now every Tuesday I come down to Miami with my guy weed and learning everything about it. So that's pretty cool.
- [57:04]
Interviewer
You know you're strong, right?
- [57:06]
Brandon Marshall
Oh, yeah. Yeah, for sure.
- [57:07]
Interviewer
That. Because it's been tested again and again. So I would assume that you're pretty proud of that as well. What have you learned not to do in parroting parenting because of how you grew up and because you don't want that feeling for the things in Life you love the most.
- [57:27]
Brandon Marshall
That's a. That's scary, man. Sometimes I feel like I'm projecting as.
- [57:31]
Interviewer
A. I'm not trying to. I'm not. I'm not trying to judge your parents. I'm just trying to figure out what it. How it is that you want to make sure that your kids have a different experience with life than the one that you had.
- [57:43]
Brandon Marshall
I think that the most important thing is love. Like, just being there. So love and being present, right? That's the only thing that matters, right? So, like, now, as this entrepreneur in chasing, like, there's the first couple of years of their life, you know, I'm still focused on me and trying to build this empire and all of that. And then it's like, you miss things, right? So, like, early on and quickly, I had to redirect that. Like, no, like, this is important. So now I could be. I could be sitting down with the CEO of Netflix or Brandon, head of non fiction at Netflix, right? The bosses. If my kids call, I'm always going to pick up the phone, right? Like, there's been so many meetings, big meetings where people call me. Hey, this is just my rule. My kids call. I'm always there because my kids don't call me all the time, right? So if my son called, that's important to me. That's. I'm gonna be there. So I think those are the things that matters the most. And I think what scares me, though, is like, you know, I don't want to parent from this place, but I'm like, man, I don't want to be. I remember when I was 22, 24, you talk about being alone. That's when I felt alone, really. It's like, dang, I don't got my father right now to help me navigate through this situation. Or now I got, how do I buy this house? Or how do I. How should I be looking through that? You know, looking at this? And I don't want my son to do that or my daughter. I don't want my sons or my daughters to my daughter to go through that, right? Like, so that's what I'm afraid of is not having that relationship like your pops, right? Like, that's why every time I always say that, man, you can see the reverence. You can see the respect. And I think that's what we all want, is that relationship. I always want my sons that just have that.
- [59:32]
Interviewer
It came about later, though. You should know, like, I had a much better relationship later in life. Not to say it was a Bad relationship. My father was just working a lot. He came. It's exile community. The thing he was teaching is work, work, work, work, work. And so the bond of the relationship actually came through him coaching my teams. But it became stronger later in life as I became an adult who got good at taking care of the child. Me that didn't have that, had a lot of difficulty with the fact that I was trying to please a man who didn't do pleasure. So I had a hard time making him proud. And so I personally, the fact that I wasn't, like, I wanted to please him, and I wasn't, like, he wasn't really somebody who did a lot of pleasure. He was busy. And it's an exile living. Right. So there was also a lot of fear in my household that a child doesn't really even know how to absorb.
- [60:22]
Brandon Marshall
Wow. So, like, you really do understand what I'm saying. Those daddy issues, mommy issues, survival. Right. And a lot of people, this. This conversation that we're having right now is just, like, so surface level. And it's like. Like people that's listening or watching this, they just start, like, going a little deeper into these things. Like, do I have daddy issues or mommy issues? How did it affect me?
- [60:43]
Interviewer
But, Brandon, you came from something much harder than I did, though. Like, just even knowing superficially what it is that you come from.
- [60:52]
Brandon Marshall
Yes and no. But that's the thing. Like, yes and no. Like, you know, the most important thing is, like, it's like even that, what you said, exile community and that type of mindset, that's survival. So my survival may look a little different than your survival, but I know what survival does to your mind and then how you put that into the world. So. Yes, but, like, man, nobody wants to be in survival.
- [61:21]
Interviewer
Well, the part that I can't really understand, that I'm even now in my late 50s, coming to grips with, because I don't remember a lot of. Of things in my childhood. I don't have a lot of childhood memories, but I now know that my home was filled with fear because my mother was holding my hand. I had seizures. I was sort of absorbing some of the fears of them being in a new country, them not speaking very much English, them not knowing being married very young, not knowing how to navigate a relationship as young people. So I don't know. I'm just beginning to learn how some of those traumas manifested. You. You mentioned trauma early. I don't know what you identify as your trauma, like, what's embedded in you.
- [62:05]
Brandon Marshall
Wow. I mean, I mean, we'll be here another hour. She's. That's why I leaned into the survival. It's just how you operate. Like, the first thing is relationships are important, how you see people. You talked about trust, but when you're six years old, I felt like something was going to happen to me. Like, that was a real feeling for me. Go to another neighborhood, my aunt's neighborhood. Right. And my brother and I were walking in the back streets. Why? Because we know that this is blood territory. There's Crips, there's Bloods, there's law, there's other people in different neighborhoods. But, like, I come from this neighborhood six, seven years old. You're thinking about the.
- [62:52]
Interviewer
That, yeah, that's not a trauma.
- [62:54]
Brandon Marshall
That's trauma. But. But that's. That. That's shaping how I view people, how I treat people, how I navigate through the world. So now when you have Coach Shanahan or Mr. Be the Owner of the Denver Broncos talking to me, I, like, I'm taught. You get. If you give respect, you get respect. There ain't no, oh, hierarchy, boss, and all of that. So there's times it's like, like, hey, bro, you can't talk to me like that. Don't talk to me that way. Right? That's. That comes from trauma.
- [63:26]
Interviewer
So you're telling Mike Shanahan, don't talk to me that way.
- [63:29]
Brandon Marshall
I never did. I did. I ain't did Big Mike that way. No, but. No, no, no, I never did that. But, you know, there's a. No, I never did. But other coaches, I did. Me, Coach Shanahan, we never had that type of moment. But I had. I was playing for the Chicago Bears, and when I start really leaning into the mental health stuff, and I wore lime green cleats on the field, and I was trying to establish lime green as the official color for mental health. Like cancer has yellow and what livestrong Lance Armstrong did. And so I took advantage of this moment. You know, they ended up finding me. The story has been told already. They also weren't. They weren't going to let me play the game, you know, so that was a whole thing. And then after the game, I had this walk with George McCaskey, Mr. McCaskey, and they were just like, they didn't like that. I. The way I wore my socks. And then I also wore this lime green cleats. And I just looked at him and I was just like, how long have you guys owned the Chicago Bears? Yeah, I said, I got three years to establish something that lasts that long for my family or the world. And so, respectfully, anytime I get an opportunity to wear lime green cleats, that's what I'm going to do. And if you don't like it, I guess you may have to trade me. I said, now the socks, I understand, right? I just. From a. This didn't look good with the orange and the lime green, so I wear all blue, so I can tweak that. But I'll never change my approach to mental health. That's. That's how I handled that situation when it's like. Like, I don't. Yeah, you're the owner, but I also stand for something as well.
- [65:14]
Interviewer
Before we get out of here, what would you like the people to know about Project 375, some of which was born in here, Right?
- [65:23]
Brandon Marshall
Yeah. So Project 375. Now, like, well, here's what I would say. I want to leave you guys with this. You know, we got to take care of ourselves first. And here are five things that you can do, right? Number one, you got to train. You got to take care of yourself. And that's why I said earlier in the show, it's like, how I feel about myself. I'm overweight. Like, that stuff matters because it affects your mood, endorphins, and so many things get released. Like, it affects you. We gotta. We gotta take care of ourselves. We gotta be able to train. So that's number one. Number two, fuel. How we. How we eat, what we're drinking, what we're putting in our bodies, right? Like, we gotta eat better matter. The food that we're consuming is killing us, right? The third is. Is mental. That's. These are my five pillars, right? The third is mental, right? Like, if you need talk therapy, it's okay. It's okay to talk to someone. Fourth is recover. Like, we're not sleeping. It's, you know, grind and hustle, culture and mindset. Nah. Like, you got to be able to say, let me turn off the phone, Let me turn off the laptop. Let me get this sleep. Let me take care of myself. And the last thing is team, right? Like, you got to surround yourself with key people, and you're blessed if you have two to three, to four. Ain't got to be everybody. But you need to have certain people in your life that you can walk with, that you call confidence. Those are my five pillars. That's what I always want to leave people. Like, take care of yourself.
- [66:45]
Interviewer
Appreciate your way of being, appreciate your style, appreciate your vulnerability, and appreciate your growth. Sir, thank you for spending this time with us. I meant what I said about. About you being prolific. You. You had me sweating early on because I don't have the numbers in front of me on the hall of fame. Did our crack. They didn't do anything. Our crack research staff didn't do anything. They just. They just sat there and ignored everything we were doing. Thank you, sir. Appreciate you.
- [67:10]
Brandon Marshall
Thank you. Thank you. What a bless.