Rasheedah Watley has known Brandon Marshall since he was 12 and laughed when I asked her Wednesday if the Bears can change Marshall in ways the Broncos or Dolphins couldn't.
"It's very foolish to think that,'' said Watley, Marshall's high school sweetheart. "I don't know how many chances you can give somebody. I'm really fearful for someone's daughter or sister. The guy needs some real help.''
Watley has a pending civil suit against Marshall based on a history of alleged domestic violence. She acknowledged being anything but impartial regarding Marshall and admitted his actions never surprise her. Marshall's attorney, Harvey Steinberg, didn't return phone calls.
"Brandon thinks he can bash people and get away with it because he has gotten away with it so I don't see why he'd think he can't get away with it again,'' Watley said.
She says she spoke to the Tribune so nobody in Chicago would have any illusions about Marshall. She sought to accurately describe "The Beast'' — Marshall's nickname — the Bears must tame. She also represents the kind of strong backlash the Bears can expect from some factions of their fan base.
This is their $9.5 million gamble, a risk born of two sides desperate for each other, banking on Marshall helping the Bears as much as they possibly can help him redeem himself.
I wonder how Virginia McCaskey viewed the trade.
Imagine how awkward it was telling the Bears matriarch that her team knowingly acquired a wide receiver who, 48 hours earlier, was accused of hitting a woman outside a New York City nightclub. Explaining the Marshall revelations that surfaced late Tuesday raised embarrassing questions the Bears hope never to have to answer — but especially not the day after a big trade and three months after Sam Hurd's drug arrest revealed a life nobody has admitted knowing Hurd led.
Did Marshall "slug'' a woman, according to a police report cited in the New York Post? Or was he trying to get his wife out of the club after she was cut by a bottle, as his lawyer claims? Did the Bears realize how serious the allegation was against a guy with a history of similar accusations by women? What was everybody saying about new general manager Phil Emery's attention to detail?
Why do the Bears have such a knack for finding adversity?
OK, that last question was one I muttered in frustration to myself Tuesday driving home from the Blackhawks game as Wednesday's edition of the Tribune rolled off the presses. Before deadline, before anybody outside Halas Hall knew of Marshall's latest saga, I believed the trade captivated a football city more than any transaction since the Jay Cutler deal — and represented a risk worth taking.
One quick news cycle later, the deal for a difference-maker two days after Marshall was involved in another 4 a.m. melee gave reasonable people pause long enough to re-examine the Bears' priorities — but still represented a risk worth taking.
Even if Marshall faces an NFL suspension, Emery did the best thing for the Bears trading two third-round draft picks for a chance to reunite Marshall with Cutler and give coach Lovie Smith another reclamation project.
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