Brandon Marshall: Rebuilt Character Was 'Ripped Away' In Chicago
(CBS) Brandon Marshall was voted the Jets' team MVP and enters Sunday a win away from the playoffs, but his time in Chicago remains fresh in mind.
This past March, Marshall was traded to the Jets in exchange for a fifth-round pick. The Bears used that to draft Penn State safety Adrian Amos, their leading tackler this season.
While Marshall has submitted his sixth consecutive 100-reception season -- becoming the first player in NFL history to do that -- he's still taken the time to reflect on his departure from Chicago, the third time he had been traded from a team. He had become a disruption and the Bears opted to move the talented receiver, even for a small return.
Speaking to ProFootballTalk.com, Marshall expressed his frustration recently.
"I can care less about stats and the awards," Marshall said. "I wanted my character to be rebuilt (in Chicago), and I did that. Then it was ripped away from me. So I'm still a little angry about that, but I'm just going to use that for motivation to keep going."
Marshall's reputation has long been that of a disruption, worsened in 2014 by the unraveling of Marc Trestman's tenure in Chicago. Trestman and general manager Phil Emery were dismissed after the season, and new general manager Ryan Pace elected to deal Marshall to New York.
In New York, Marshall has put together another terrific season and made the Jets a better team, but the Bears didn't trade Marshall because of production concerns.