Remembering Teammates Using Rubber Bracelets

A blue rubber bracelet with block orange lettering on Brandon Marshall’s right wrist has served as a reminder he not only will have to get his body right for the upcoming season, but also his mind.Williams 27. 1982-2007.

It refers to the first of two Broncos players’ deaths this year.

Marshall was at the nightclub before cornerback Darrent Williams was killed early New Year’s Day in a spray of gunfire.

He also participated in a charity basketball game in St. Louis hours before running back Damien Nash collapsed and died in February.

The deaths interrupted Marshall’s offseason training to make trips to Denver and two funerals. Still to be determined is how well Marshall can overcome his grief and concentrate on the task at hand.

“We’re friends as well, so he’ll talk about it,” said Matt Gates, Marshall’s offseason trainer the past three years. “But when it’s time to work, he works. He can put his personal life out of the gym for three to four hours a day. But it’s obviously going to take its toll.”

Marshall said he is coping with the tragedies as best he can.

“We have a first-class organization. Just the staff and the coaches around here and the people they put in place to help us come together as a team, it made it much easier for everyone,” he said. “It’s a process. We’re still going through it. And we’re going to go through it for the rest of our lives. I mean, we’re never going to forget what happened, but this season is definitely dedicated to those guys.”

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