Ex NFL Star Brandon Marshall Is Defending His Parenting Style Online — "Not My Friend"

Former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall is well known for his exceptional talent. Over 13 seasons in the league, Marshall played for several teams, including the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, and Seattle Seahawks.

Since retiring in 2019, Marshall has become a well-known personality on social media, with over 600,000 followers on Instagram.

And one recent post from Marshall on that very platform has sparked debate. The video appears to show Marshall punishing his young son by making him run at 2 a.m.

“This is my son, not my friend…,” Marshall, 42, wrote in a caption alongside the post.

“Discipline correction is good,” Marshall tells his son outside the window. “Even at 2 in the morning, we run. I’m gonna put my hands on you. I’m training you up to be a warrior. I’m training you up to be a leader. To serve. To have discipline. To be better than me.”

“Discipline correction is good,” Marshall tells his son outside the window. “Even at 2 in the morning, we run. I’m gonna put my hands on you. I’m training you up to be a warrior. I’m training you up to be a leader. To serve. To have discipline. To be better than me.”

He continued: “If you don’t start running, we’re gonna go three miles. So you better start running because you don’t know when I’m gonna tell you to stop. You don’t wanna listen? We run. We work. 2 in the morning. Let’s go. Faster. I’m driving 3 miles per hour. You should be going at 8 or 9 miles per hour.”

Marshall's son then begins speeding up as his father reads out his speed on the speedometer.

“Here we go, now we moving. Run,” Marshall added. “That’s how you’re gonna learn. Come on.”

Unsurprisingly, the video has sparked debate online, with one commenter writing: "You should NEVER discipline a child with embarrassment it messes up their mental health state. Kids are people too. This is so lame. It didn’t need to be public if this is how you wanted to discipline that’s fine. You did this to show off on the internet. I hope you take this down. And I read some of your comments learn how to take constructive criticism my guy. Most of us aren’t trying to hurt you just giving good feedback."

While another added: "This sir is wack and embarrassing I have 4 young men all whom I had to discipline at some point but I never embarrass my children especially in this era. This has gone viral so the amount of jokes and laughs from his peers he has gotten could shatter his confidence. Kings (Real) Kings move with a stern but fair hand and always protect the kingdom. This is completely not needed but do what you do."

Some seemed to agree with the apparent punishment, with one user writing: "Ya'll acting like this is hurting HIS SON. He’s teaching. Correcting behaviors before the streets do."

While another added: "Our job is to build men, not boys."

Brandon Marshall is a proud father of three children. Marshall shares his kids with his former wife, Michi Nogami-Marshall, whom he married in 2010.

The couple welcomed twins in 2015 and later expanded their family with a third child in 2019.

The couple officially divorced in 2022 after 12 years of marriage.