Retired New York Giants legend Leonard Marshall became the first living player diagnosed with CTE in 2013, and since that diagnosis, he regularly speaks out about the dangers of football and CTE, while also serving as a cannabis advocate.
In years past, Marshall has pondered aloud whether or not his outspoken nature has prevented him from being enshrined in the Giants’ Ring of Honor, which is something he questioned again during an appearance on the New York Post podcast, “Blue Rush.”
“I kind of, sort of think that,” Marshall said about why he’s not in the ROH. “I don’t want to believe that, because I think that when you look back on the powers that be and the gentlemen that are running the team now. . . I would believe these men have a lot of respect for what I did as a player, both on and off the field, within the community, and the surrounding area, and what I continue to do to support the New York football Giants.
“I think that yes, I have been a little outspoken about [CTE], because I feel like I have a platform which allows me to do that, and to help my brothers who can’t help themselves. There were not a lot of guys that were like Leonard Marshall and Lawrence Taylor on our football team that commanded such attention. Some of those guys are the ones hurting.”
Whether or not that truly is the reasoning Marshall is not in the Ring of Honor, he continues to fight on behalf of retired NFL players with “debilitating” injuries including CTE. And he will continue to advocate for medical cannabis in the process.
A second-round pick of the Giants in the 1983 NFL Draft, Marshall spent 10 years with the team, winning two Super Bowls, going to two Pro Bowls and being named an All-Pro twice. He retired following the 1994 season with 83.5 career sacks (79.5 as a member of the Giants).
