Jets’ Todd Bowles on Marshall’s Brady comments: He needs to be smarter
New York Jets coach Todd Bowles said Brandon Marshall should be smarter with the comments he chooses to make after the wide receiver said race may have played a role in Tom Brady’s suspension being overturned.
Marshall said many NFL players think “the race card” was a factor in Brady's four-game suspension being overturned on Showtime's “Inside the NFL,” where he serves as a regular panelist, on Tuesday night.
“I think his opinion is well-warranted with what he said,” Bowles said, according to USA Today. “Back when I played, I’ve seen some things, just like he has seen some things. But I’m not on that platform and he is. He has got to be smarter.”
Bowles said Marshall’s comments were not a distraction to the team, and that he does not take issue with Marshall's participation on the show.
“Well, he brought it up to me,” Bowles said. “It was a normal conversation. We talked about it in depth like two grown men and let it go. I read the article, understood where he was coming from. He understood where I was coming from and we moved on.”
Marshall had said that many players think white players, especially white quarterbacks are treated differently, and that black players are often held to a different standard.
“We don’t play New England until later in the year, so it doesn’t even bother us,” Bowles said. “It’s doesn’t faze us. It’s not on our team, it’s not around our team. Anything outside of what we do with ourselves takes away from our preparation for the game.”
The Jets open their season on Sunday against the Browns. They play the Patriots in Week 7 at Gillette Stadium.
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