Brandon Marshall addresses the controversy surrounding his Inside the NFL comments

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Brandon Marshall explained his controversial comments from this week’s episode of “Inside the NFL” on Thursday.On the show that aired earlier this week on Showtime, Marshall, who is the only current player on the popular show, said that there is a view around the league that “white players” and quarterbacks are treated differently by the NFL in terms of suspensions and league rulings. His reporting was founded on conversations he says he’s had with players from around the league.

At no point did Marshall say this was his belief, just a belief he feels is held based on his research after multiple conversations with players from different locker rooms.

“It had nothing to do with the judge, it’s what I thought was the opinion of a bunch of players. It had nothing to do with the case, it was just our approach,” Marshall said on Thursday. “The only thing I’ll say about that whole deal, I think we all know, especially you guys more than anybody else, whenever you talk about race, whenever you talk about religion and politics publicly, it’s uncomfortable and can be tough at times. It’s just one of those things where sometimes, you have to deal with it and move forward.”

His comments raised eyebrows, something he clearly has a propensity to doing throughout his career as an analyst, which includes local television work as well as at Showtime. On Wednesday, Jets head coach Todd Bowles said he hopes his players will be “smarter” with their words so as not to create a distraction.

Marshall and Bowles spoke about his comments on Wednesday before practice.

“My priority is football, outside of my faith and family that comes first. Second is football and it’s a big second. I’m studying the field, still trying to learn and get better. The thing I try to remember is that my seat on that show is to give theplayer’s perspective. I’m not a 10-year vet where I can sit up there andanalyze things and be aswittyas Boomer and Phil. So for me, I try to sit in that seat as a player. I think it’s really intriguing as an average fan to have an inside look as to what the players are thinking, getting an inside look into the locker room,” Marshall said.

“The other thing I’m thinking is ‘Will this affect my team?’ There are some hot topics and big issues that get thrown out there but that’s the thing I’m thinking about.”