Brandon Marshall’s Borderline Personality Disorder Not an Issue for Bears

Brandon Marshall comes to the Bears for a pair of third round draft picks and with a little bit of baggage.  Last I was really paying attention to Marshall, before he took his talents to South Beach, he was throwing a tantrum during Broncos practice.   Little did we know then what we know now, that Marshall has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.  This from the South Florida Sun Sentinel from back in July of 2011:

"He has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, or BPD.“BPD is a well understood psychological disorder. It’s not a form of misbehavior,” said Mary Zanarini, a professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, who treated Marshall this summer.BPD is a mental illness that studies say is more common than schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but is rarely diagnosed because of misperceptions in the mental health community, and the challenges of providing a proper treatment plan.The disorder is marked by difficulties with relationships and self-image and controlling moods and emotions.During Marshall’s treatment at McLean, he learned how to defuse the bomb inside of his head. Now with the tools and a new perspective he’s returning to the real world, to the NFL, to a marriage he admittedly broke, and to a wife who feels vilified. He must use the skills he’s learned to survive, if not thrive."

Go give the whole article a spin to see what they have to say about Marshall’s diagnosis after another run-in with the law that led him to seek help. Marshall seems to be managing the disorder and believes he’s embraced his role to bring it to light.

"“Before this ordeal I kept asking God to show me my purpose. He gave me this,” Marshall said. “I’ll be the face of BPD. I’ll make myself vulnerable if it saves someone’s life because I know what I went through this summer helped save mine.”"

Clearly it’s not a secret and wasn’t an issue for the Bears in deciding to pull the trigger on this deal. This isn’t like the secret life of Sam Hurd that will come back and bite the Bears out of nowhere.

Marshall has amassed nearly 500 catches for 6247 yards and 34 touchdowns in his 6 seasons split between Denver and Miami.

His relationship with Cutler and the calming influence of Lovie Smith will provide a good environment for Marshall to thrive.