Giants wide receiver Brandon Marshall, diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in 2011, says an open discussion about his condition has helped him bond with his team — and pushed him to crush less sympathetic rivals on the field.
Marshall says he was amazed by the response after he spoke out. “Not only did teammates and other athletes open up and support me, but coaches, owners and owners’ wives.”
He joined a recent panel at the University of Michigan with Glenn Close and artist Peter Tunney to destigmatize mental-health issues. Marshall added of an opponent, “One time this guy called me crazy, and it made me crazy on the field … The thing that made me angry is he didn’t understand the power behind it. It crushed me. Then I crushed him.”
The panel was part of a week of events conceptualized by Harris Schwartzberg, who launched The Who Can Relate Campaign on behalf of the Steven Schwartzberg Foundation, benefitting Bring Change to Mind and Project375.