Identity

Brandon Marshall, Wide Receiver, At Least Nine Domestic Violence Accusations

Position: Wide receiver
Height / Weight: 6’4″ / 230 lbs
College: University of Central Florida
NFL draft: 2006 / Round: 4 / Pick: 119
Career history: Denver Broncos (2006–2009), Miami Dolphins (2010–2011), Chicago Bears (2012–2014), New York Jets (2015–present)


Brandon Marshall has been the subject of repeated domestic violence allegations.

Videos by VICE

On June 17, 2006, Marshall and then-girlfriend Rasheedah Watley filed police reports against each other in Orange County, FL, both alleging physical abuse in a fight. According to Watley’s statement to police, she and Marshall “were mutually pushing each other” before the fight escalated. She alleged, in the police report, that Marshall “slapped her in the face, pushed her to the ground, and grabbed her by the arms.” She also alleged that Marshall’s sister London “threw a phone at her which hit her in the forehead, cutting her above the eye,” and that she sustained a black eye from London punching her in the face. Both parties declined to press charges.


On March 18, 2007, Watley told police in Atlanta, GA, that Marshall, whom she identified as her ex-boyfriend, had punched her in a hotel room and taken her purse. According to the police report, Marshall “hit her with a closed fist repeatedly.” Watley stated that Marshall “became enraged when he looked through her cellphone’s call list and observed that she has been talking with another ex-boyfriend.” Watley also stated that “Marshall grabbed her by the arms while using force and intimidation”; she said that he “struck her in the face with a closed fist which resulted in a large dark colored bruise to her chin.” In the police report, the officer states that while speaking with Watley, “she received a text message on her cellphone from Marshall that stated ‘I’m watching you, why did you call the police?’” No charges were filed.


On June 8, 2007, according to an Atlanta, GA police report, officers responded to a call of a fight. When they arrived and spoke with Watley, who had a bloody wound on her thigh, she told them she had accidentally cut herself with a kitchen knife. When police asked if she had been in an physical altercation with anyone, she said she’d been verbally arguing with Marshall—whom she identified as her ex-boyfriend—but that nothing physical had occurred.

About an hour later, police responded to another call at the same residence. This time Watley, changing her story, said that Marshall had cut her in the right thigh and punched her in the face. Medical responders were dispatched to the scene and took Watley to the hospital.

The same day, a woman stated in a separate police report that her vehicle was hit from behind by Marshall. According to her statement in the report, Marshall “then exited his vehicle and threw a large rock at the passenger side of the vehicle,” which dented the vehicle door. The alleged victim stated that Marshall was “acting the way he was because of a domestic dispute with Mr. Marshall’s ex-girlfriend who was inside the vehicle at the time of the incident.” Both incidents occurred at the same location, according to the police reports. No charges were filed.


On June 30, 2007, police in Atlanta, GA, responded to a fight-in-progress call. According to the police report, Watley stated that Marshall accused her of causing him to miss a flight and assaulted her. She stated that “her boyfriend struck her with a closed fist and choked her.” The officer at the scene “observed a bruise on Ms. Watley’s left eye and noticeable scratches on her body.” No charges were filed.


On March 4, 2008, Atlanta, GA police responded to a fight call at Marshall’s address. Upon arrival, according to an incident report, police met with Marshall, who was bleeding from his hand. Marshall stated that he was in a “verbal fight with his girlfriend when her sisters attacked him with a knife.” When asked who had the knife, Marshall responded that there had been no knife; he had been cut by glass during the fight. He went on to state that Watley and her sisters were in his apartment destroying his belongings.

Watley stated to the police that she and Marshall were in a verbal disagreement over a text message she had received from one of her ex-boyfriends and she then called her sisters to come over. When her sisters arrived, Watley stated that Marshall “began to destroy the apartment, threw her on the bed, grasped her head with his hand, and began to slap her.” Watley’s two sisters gave statements that were consistent with her account of the incident. According to the report, Marshall fled the scene while Watley was giving her statement. On the same day, a warrant was issued for Marshall’s arrest for misdemeanor battery.


On March 5, 2008, according to an Atlanta, GA police report, Watley stated that “she had a verbal fight with her boyfriend Mr. Brandon Marshall who took her property from the dresser, and threw her clothing over the balcony when he left.” In the report, Watley alleged that Marshall had hit her earlier in the day and kept “returning to the apartment to get his property.” Watley stated that she was trying to hide items Marshall had bought for her because he had previously destroyed her other computer.

Marshall was subsequently suspended for three games, and the suspension was reduced to one regular-season game and a fine of a game check, which was worth $52,353.

In August 2009, Marshall was acquitted after a jury found him not guilty of the misdemeanor battery charge stemming from the March 4th incident.


On March 1, 2009, in Atlanta, GA, both Marshall and Michi Nogami-Campbell, his fiancée at the time, were both arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. According to the police report, an officer said that she observed Marshall and Nogami-Campbell engaged “in an intense conversation” that became physical. The officer said that Marshall grabbed Nogami-Campbell’s shirt and pin her up against the wall, and then she began kicking and hitting Marshall. The charges were subsequently dropped.


In September 2009, Marshall was suspended by the Denver Broncos for two pre-season games due to unspecified “detrimental conduct” that took place on the field during practice.


On April 22, 2011, Marshall was allegedly stabbed by his wife Michi Nogami-Marshall in the abdomen, according to a Broward County, FL police report. In the report, Marshall claims that he “slipped and fell onto a broken glass vase.” However, in the same report, Nogami-Marshall stated—after being read her Miranda rights—that she stabbed Marshall out of self-defense. It subsequently emerged that she made a brief 911 call in which she said, “Please come. It’s an emergency,” but did not mention a stabbing. It’s unclear whether this took place before or after Marshall was stabbed. Nogami-Marshall was arrested for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and later released on a $7,500 bail. On July 29, 2011, the charges were dropped.

At a press conference on July 31, 2011, Marshall revealed that he was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder earlier that year.


On March 11, 2012, Marshall allegedly punched a woman in the face outside a nightclub in Manhattan, NY, knocking her to the ground. He was never charged, but the alleged victim filed a civil suit against him, obtained by Broadly. Legal action related to that suit is still ongoing.


In September 2014, civil rights lawyer and victim advocate Gloria Allred called for the NFL to address Marshall’s past in light of its revised personal conduct policy in a press conference. Bears general manager Phil Emery released this statement, pointing out that since being signed by the Bears, Marshall has participated in charity work and raised awareness about mental health issues and their connection to criminality:

Brandon has the full support of the Chicago Bears. We were aware of his personal background when we traded for him in 2012 and equally aware of the tremendous efforts he made to bring positive changes in his life and in the lives of all the people around him. Since his arrival, Brandon has thrived in an environment that has been supportive. He has been a very positive, thoughtful and proactive leader and role model. He has acknowledged his past struggles and shared his story in an effort to help others improve their daily lives. Brandon has been at the forefront of mental health awareness and has extended himself in an unprecedented way to help fellow players across the NFL. He has helped himself through helping others and we are proud to have him as a teammate.

In 2015, Forbes listed Marshall on its list of the highest-paid athletes before he was traded from the Bears to the Jets. He currently has a three-year contract worth up to $26 million.

Marshall did not return Broadly’s request for comment.