Those of you hoping that Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall might get a slap on the wrist for his various legal troubles need a reality check. The case laid out against him in "Brandon Marshall's Past," a report for ESPN's Outside the Lines, is so damning, so shocking, that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will have no choice but to slap him with a lengthy suspension: probably at least eight games, with a strong possibility of a full year on the shelf. And he'll deserve it.
The OTL piece revolves around Rasheedah Watley, who became Marshall's girlfriend when they were in their early teens; they attended their eighth-grade prom together. She tearfully and compellingly details a slew of abusive incidents, most of which are documented by police reports, photos of injuries and so on. The capper, of course, is that after she finally wised up and moved on, Marshall and his current fiancée, Michi Leshase Nogami-Campbell, were involved in a disorderly conduct incident a few months back -- and while the matter was promptly dropped, it absolutely fits the pattern of behavior described by Watley and her parents, who charge the Broncos with trying to make excuses for Marshall's actions.
Predictably, Marshall offers a very different story. After the jump, watch "Brandon Marshall's Past," as well as a separate interview in which the reciever offers a series of denials and rationalizations. Then decide for yourself if any of them will convince Goodell.
