Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall won’t be suspended over latest domestic dispute

Broncos WR Marshall cleared in latest run-in

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Brandon Marshall is free to play the entire 2009 season, providing his surgically repaired hip allows it.

Marshall learned Tuesday he won’t face disciplinary action from the NFL over his latest arrest in a domestic dispute.

League spokesman Greg Aiello told The Associated Press that the Denver Broncos’ Pro Bowl receiver has been notified that no punishment is forthcoming as the result of his arrest in Atlanta on March 1 that stemmed from a fight with his new fiance.

Charges were dropped the next day when Marshall and his fiance, Michi Leshase Nogami-Campbell, refused to testify against each other.

“Brandon is thrilled,” Marshall’s lawyer, Harvey Steinberg, told The AP. “I’ve always maintained that the NFL would treat us fairly. We felt if they took the time to do a thorough investigation, which they did, there would be no basis for discipline. That was the finding. We’re thrilled.”

Steinberg said Marshall received a letter from commissioner Roger Goodell clearing him but also cautioning him to steer clear of trouble.

“The letter in summary says: We’ve done a full and complete investigation of the situation, and because it’s not clear what took place we don’t feel there’s a basis for discipline,” Steinberg said. “He (Goodell) expected Brandon to toe the line and Brandon will toe the line.”

“We are humbled, enthused and excited by this decision by the commissioner’s office,” Marshall’s agent, Kennard McGuire, told The AP. “We also understand that Brandon has to continue to grow, be accountable and responsible. We have no doubt he’ll do all the above and more.”

The Broncos, who declined comment until Wednesday, were worried that Marshall’s latest arrest could lead to another suspension for repeated violations of the league’s personal conduct code. He missed last year’s opener for a series of police-related incidents with his former girlfriend, Rasheeda Watley.

Marshall is scheduled to stand trial in Atlanta next week for two counts of misdemeanor battery, charges that stem from a March 6, 2008, incident involving Watley. That arrest was part of what led to Marshall’s suspension for the 2008 opener.

Repeat offenders of the league’s conduct policy, such as Tank Johnson and Chris Henry, have received eight-game suspensions. Adam “Pacman” Jones was suspended for the 2007 season after repeated run-ins with the law.

Marshall, 25, was suspended for three games last season but he and Steinberg, successfully had the punishment whittled to one game plus two paychecks totaling $52,352 when Marshall pledged to stay out of trouble and off the police blotter.

He broke up with his former girlfriend, made weekly visits to inner-city youth and earlier this year proposed to Nogami-Campbell.

On March 1, police were summoned to Marshall’s residence in Atlanta when Marshall and his fiance got into a heated argument. With police looking on, the fight escalated and Marshall and his fiance began kicking and punching each other on the sidewalk outside his home, according to a police report.

Neither one needed medical attention, and both of them were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and taken to the Atlanta City Jail. A day later, charges were dismissed when they declined to testify against one another.

Marshall’s latest arrest and his recent hip surgery put a crimp in his hopes of signing a huge contract this year as one of the league’s top receivers.

Marshall is due $2.2 million this season in the final year of a four-year contract he signed as a rookie. Although he’s had back-to-back 100-catch seasons and made the Pro Bowl last season, nobody knows if he’ll be the same player following hip surgery.

Marshall’s agent said his client is rehabbing from his hip surgery in Orlando, Fla., and his absence from the Broncos’ voluntary minicamp this week isn’t a ploy to seek a contract re-negotiation.

As for Marshall’s rehab, McGuire said, “He’s progressing well.”

Marshall caught 104 passes for 1,265 yards and six TDs last season. But he dropped 18 on-target passes, something he blamed on the nerve damage in his right arm, which he said he put through a television set while horsing around with his brother a year ago in the offseason.

AP Sports Writer Pat Graham contributed to this report.