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News & notes

Jets: Todd Bowles has no problem with Brandon Marshall speaking his mind. The New York Jets coach just wants his players to be careful when doing so. Marshall, a regular on Showtime’s “Inside The NFL,” created headlines Tuesday night when he suggested that many NFL players believe that white players are treated differently by the league when it comes to discipline. While the show’s in-studio panel discussed New England quarterback Tom Brady having his four-game suspension being dropped by a federal judge last week, Marshall said there are three types of opinions by players on the “Deflategate” scandal. One was the players who support Brady, the others are “cowards” who are afraid to face the quarterback and want him suspended. “And the last is 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.” Marshall added that he had spoken to players of different races from several teams. “I think his opinion is well-warranted in what he said,” Bowles said when asked Wednesday of Marshall’s comments. “I’m sure you have cases back when I played. I’ve seen some things just as he’s seen some things, but I’m not on that platform, he is, and he’s got to be smarter.” When asked what he meant by “smarter,” Bowles said: “In terms of how he says things. You can say things and they come out a different way than what you mean it. Just got to be smarter that way.” Bowles, an NFL safety from 1986-93, added that Marshall approached him about what he said Wednesday morning. The two discussed it, and Bowles insisted it was not a distraction. “It was a normal conversation, so we talked about it in-depth like two grown men and we let it go,” Bowles said. “I read the article, he understood where I was coming from and I understood where he was coming from and we moved on.” Marshall was not made available to the media Wednesday.

Eagles: Quarterback Sam Bradford hasn’t played in a regular-season NFL game in so long, even he can’t remember the last time. “A year and a half? A year and nine months? I don’t even know how long it’s been since I’ve played a regular-season game,” Bradford said after practice on Wednesday. To be precise, it’s been nearly one year and 11 months since Bradford last played in the regular season, a loss to Carolina on Oct. 20, 2013 in which he tore an ACL. “Opening day is always exciting. And when you haven’t played in that long it’s even more exciting,” Bradford said of Philadelphia’s matchup against the Falcons in Atlanta on Monday night. Bradford’s promising career in St. Louis after being the No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft has been sidetracked by two ACL tears. The Rams traded the former rookie of the year to the Eagles for Nick Foles and a second round draft pick in 2016. After the 2013 injury, Bradford got back on the field in time for the 2014 preseason but was hurt again the third week of the preseason in Cleveland. Bradford admits thoughts of giving up entered his mind. But they didn’t last very long. “Aside from those first couple of days when I was just down about everything, no, I thought I’d get back here again,” Bradford said. “When it initially happened and before you talk to the doctor, that thought always crosses your head. But after I talked to the doctor and he assured me there was no permanent damage, I knew it would just be the same rehab as the first time.” Bradford says he knew he was back when he got out and took a few hits. “That was the first step. I guess you could look at it as the last step (is) playing a full game,” he said.

Seahawks: Coach Pete Carroll says holdout strong safety Kam Chancellor has not shown up at the team’s practice facility and won’t play on Sunday in the season opener against St. Louis.Carroll spoke Wednesday as the Seahawks began preparations for the Rams. Carroll says he is disappointed Chancellor has chosen this route to express his displeasure with his contract situation. “It’s unfortunate it’s come to this and he’s not here,” Carroll said. Chancellor did not report when the Seahawks gathered for training camp at the end of July. His potential fines are in excess of $1 million should the team choose to enforce them and he will forfeit a game check by missing the opener. Dion Bailey will start at strong safety in Chancellor’s absence. Cornerback Richard Sherman says he’s communicated with Chancellor on and off during the holdout but he has no indication of when Chancellor may report.

Associated Press