NY Jets Brandon Marshall Believes White Players get Treated Differently than Black Players

New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall is not too happy with the judge who lifted Tom Brady's four-game suspension, which he received for allegedly being involved with the Deflategate scandal.

Marshall, 31, spoke with Showtime's "Inside the NFL" via NJ.com about U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman's decision. Marshall believes that race was a factor that was not listed in Berman's 40-page report that explained why the four-game suspension would be lifted.

"The race card," Marshall said. "There are a lot of players out there that believe that white players - specifically, at the quarterback position - are treated differently."

In response to Marshall's comments, Boomer Esiason, who used to be a quarterback in the NFL, asked, "So you're telling me that there are players out there...that if this were Cam Newton, that his suspension would be upheld, and he would be there, that the judge would see Cam Newton differently because of the color of his skin?"

Marshall said, without a doubt, "Well, when you look back at the history of this sport, you can build a case on that, yes."

The veteran player also stated that he "absolutely" believes that black players are held to a different standard.

According to Marshall, active players throughout the league share one of three opinions when it comes to Brady. Some players are happy with Brady's case because they believe that the outcome will be better for players' rights overall. Others simply wanted the ban to be upheld because they do not want to face the Super Bowl MVP. The last group, however, believes that Brady's outcome was greatly affected by the fact that he is a white quarterback.

Marshall stressed that his statements are not just a reflection of his opinion, but also the opinions of both black and white players in the league.

"This is not just from our locker room. This is from the locker rooms across the states. This is how guys are feeling. This is not just my opinion. These are conversations I'm having with guys," Marshall said. "It's just not African American players. I've had this conversation with Caucasian players as well. The most important part of this whole discussion is the process for the players. They just want the process to be fair and right. They just want to get it right."

With the ban lifted, Brady will be playing in Thursday night's season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Marshall will be making his debut when the Jets play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Sep. 13 at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.