Brandon Marshall Doesn't Fit Jacksonville's "Character First" Approach

A hot topic on the message boards in Jacksonville today is whether the Jaguars should make a play for disgruntled Denver wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

Marshall is clamoring to be traded, and the Broncos will surely have no shortage of suitors if they decide to unload the receiver.

The reasons for bringing Marshall to the River City are numerous and obvious. He's a dynamic, proven, talented receiver who would instantly be an upgrade over any receiver on the roster.

Marshall, entering his fourth year out of the University of Central Florida, has posted back-to-back 100-catch and 1,000-yard seasons and made the Pro Bowl in 2008. And at 25, his best days are certainly still ahead of him.

However, there's one reason Gene Smith, Wayne Weaver and the rest of Jacksonville's brain trust won't go near Marshall with a 10-foot pole.

The troubled receiver would need the entire Jacksonville offensive line to carry all his baggage.

His legal record reads like a bad episode of "COPS."

2004: Assault on a law enforcement officer while still at UCF.

2007: Domestic violence (charges were eventually dropped).

2007: DUI (pled to a reduced charge, received one-year probation and 24 hours of community service).

2008: Driving without a license and proof of insurance (charges dropped as part of 2007 DUI plea bargain).

You get the idea.

This doesn't even take into account a recent piece featured on ESPN's "Outside The Lines," in which ex-girlfriend Rasheeda Watley detailed numerous instances of Marshall's alleged domestic violence.

Marshall appeared on the show and said, in part, that he "never put [his] hand on Rasheeda Watley."

Whether or not Marshall is telling the truth about Watley is uncertain, and inconsequential. There is a clear pattern of misconduct, and it's probably just a matter of time before Marshall serves another NFL suspension (he sat out one game at the beginning of the 2008 season for personal conduct violations).

After Jacksonville jettisoned every one of its troubled wide receivers this off season (Matt Jones, Reggie Williams, Jerry Porter), it is inconceivable that the Jaguars would bring in a receiver who seems to be more troubled than Jones, Williams, and Porter combined.

No matter how talented he is.