Miles
Well-known member
- Mar 18, 2019
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Marshall, the first arrival of this bunch, carved out a memorable path. His first 15 months in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars had left him doubting his future in football, as they bounced him from their active roster, their practice squad and the waiver wire six times.
After being waived just before the 2013 season, Marshall had his choice of signing with the Broncos’ or the Raiders’ practice squads, or rejoining Jacksonville’s. Joining Oakland could have brought a quicker path to an active roster, but the Broncos had an established winning culture.
The decision would change his life.
In his first year as a Bronco, Marshall became a star on the team’s practice squad, earning the trust and respect of Denver’s coaches and its finest players, including Peyton Manning. By the end of the 2013 season, Marshall had been promoted to the active roster, though he mostly played special teams.
In 2014, Marshall broke out, leading the Broncos in tackles with 113 in 14 games, and he added nine passes defensed, an interception, two forced fumbles and two sacks. But Marshall’s 2015 season was arguably his finest, as he “quarterbacked” one of the most dominant defenses in recent memory and provided the reliability and sure tackling to hold the center of the defense equally well against the run and pass.
Marshall’s other most lasting impact, though, may have been in the community. Even before he famously kneeled to protest social injustice, Marshall was an active participant in community initiatives in Denver. Early in his stint with the Broncos, back in 2014, he led a clothing drive to help support survivors of domestic violence.
But it was after his protest during the 2016 season when he maximized his efforts. He launched his own charity, the Williams-Marshall Cares Program, which aims to help adolescents become leaders in their communities through the values of faith, hard work, dedication, perseverance, integrity, honesty and respect. In 2018, he expanded his work with a new campaign, called the FEEL (Feed and Educate to Empower Leaders) Movement, which created and distributed packages to select families in his hometown of North Las Vegas, Nevada, and donated $50,000 to three Denver non-profit organizations. In addition to all that, he also worked closely with the Denver Police Department to gain further understanding of the officers’ duties and the challenges they face.