It takes a lot of work and effort to reach the NFL as a young player — and Brandon Marshall is ensuring his young son is in shape, which drew the ire of fans online
15:31 ET, 21 Jun 2026
Brandon Marshall has been criticized for his video pushing his son on an early run
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Brandon Marshall has been criticized for his video pushing his son on an early run(Image: Getty Images)
Former NFL star Brandon Marshall received backlash online after showing the lengths he pushes his son to — including a 2 am jog.
The NFL is in the midst of its offseason, though numerous stadiums across the country are being used for the ongoing World Cup. But while many fans are focused on the happenings of soccer’s enormous tournament, Marshall has been criticized for appearing to get his son into shape.
In a video that went viral on social media, Marshall — a six-time Pro Bowler — could be seen pushing his son to run faster and even threatened to make him run farther if he didn’t improve his pace. The 42-year-old even captioned the video: “This is my son, not my friend.”
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The video showed his visibly sleepy son running through a residential area, and, as he drove the car slowly while recording his running son, Marshall was heard saying: “It's no different than when we were in LA, Santa Monica, running at midnight on the pier. We wanted to do that; we love to do that.
“If you don't start running, we're gonna go three miles, so you better start running.”
Ultimately, Marshall’s son was able to hit 6 mph, but his father wasn’t impressed, adding: “You should be going at 8 or 9 miles per hour right now,' Marshall said. 'If this truck don't get to nine miles per hour, I promise you, we're going all the way to the gas station, which is three miles down and back… There we go. Now we moving.”
However, the ex-Broncos' decision to force his son into the streets in the early hours of the morning angered many fans and parents.
“This public humiliation should be reported to Child Protective Services. Not okay to do this to this child. There are better ways to teach a lesson to your child,” one stated on social media.
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Brandon Marshall's video of his son was not well received by some fans online
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Brandon Marshall's video of his son was not well received by some fans online(Image: X @bmarshall)
Others highlighted Marshall’s decision to post it on social media as odd, with one user writing: “I’m all for discipline. But next time keep it yourself my guy. There nothering wrong with this type of discipline. Keep these moment between you and your son.”
Another highlighted how this could be humiliating for his son, posting: “You should NEVER discipline a child with embarrassment it messes up their mental health state. Kids are people too. This is so lame. It didn't need to be public if this is how you wanted to discipline that's fine. You did this to show off on the internet.
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“I hope you take this down. And I read some of your comments learn how to take constructive criticism my guy. Most of us aren't trying to hurt you just giving good feedback. Take care.”
One user even suggested Marshall should have been running alongside his son, not filming in a car. But others took the side of the NFL star, defending his actions with one example being: “Good job B marsh! He’ll be ready for 2 a days sooner than his peers.
“All these soft people in comments obviously have never played football or any sport. Football teaches you life lessons to be used outside of the game. I’ll be doing the same to my son.”