LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall will wear green shoes in Thursday night's game against the New York Giants, promising to double the fine that is sure to come for violating the NFL's uniform policy.
During a month in which many NFL players are wearing pink shoes, gloves and wristbands to support breast cancer awareness, Marshall will go green in support of his own foundation, which focuses on mental illness.
Marshall was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder in 2011. In going green, Marshall is sensitive about not wanting to steal the thunder of the message being sent by those wearing pink.
"I'm going to get fined and I'm going to match that, and we want to partner with a cancer-care [charity]," Marshall said. "We're still working on the details to give, really give back to an organization that is doing work in the mental health area. [Also], the diagnosis of breast cancer can hit families hard. It affects all of us."
The eight-year veteran expressed frustration after Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Saints, a game in which he had just four catches for 30 yards and was targeted only five times.
"They aren't paying me $10 million just to not make a play," Marshall said Tuesday, explaining how his personal frustrations have the team's best interest in mind. "Now it's what do you do with that frustration? What do you do when you're angry? Do you blow up? Are you a distraction in the locker room? Are you a cancer? Or do you communicate the right way?
"There are still some things I fail at. The first few weeks, coach [Marc] Trestman called me a 'palms-up guy.' I'm coming off the sideline saying, 'What's going on? It's been three drives.' So I went to Coach and said, 'I'm sorry, I won't be a palms-up guy.' I've gotten better, but it's a process."
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said he understands Marshall's frustration.
"[Marshall is] human," Cutler said Monday. "He wants to be personally successful, but he knows for us to get where we want to go, everyone has to contribute. There's games where he doesn't get 10 balls, 12 balls. He might have five and a touchdown, and if we win, he's going to be happy. If we don't, everyone's going to work to see what we can do to fix it."