Brandon Marshall Has Wanted Out of Denver for Quite Some Time

When rumors about Brandon Marshall leaving the Broncos started percolating, most people assumed that the wide receiver wanted a trade because he was either unhappy about his contract or unhappy that the team traded quarterback Jay Cutler to the Bears. Those may both be valid, but he started dreaming about a departure from the Rockies long before either of those issues came to the forefront.

The first inklings of Marshall's desire occurred way back in 2007, although he didn't make them known to any member of the Broncos front office. Pro Football Talk unearthed a copy of the police report from an incident of suspected DUI, which featured Marshall's colorful initial trade request.

Marshall began by asking why the police were stopping him when they should be out looking for the guy who killed Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, and then moved into an assault on the city.

"I hate Denver. I hope I get traded. I hate this f---ing city."

As far as tourism slogans go, it isn't quite "Virginia is for lovers," but it has a certain appeal.

Earlier today, FanHouse's Ryan Wilson told you that the Broncos were resistant to the idea of trading Marshall and expected him to be at training camp. The release of this police report may put a crimp in those plans. It's difficult to imagine the fans who pay money to watch the Broncos play are too excited about the prospect of helping pay the salary of a guy who hates their "f---ing city."

In a way, that's good for the Broncos as well. A civic uprising against Marshall would give them plenty of cover to get a deal done, even if the return is a bit lighter than you'd expect from a receiver of Marshall's talents. It would be better to cut bait than deal with an unhappy player coming off of hip surgery who is at odds with his team and their fans.