Contributor

Brandon Marshall

NFL wide receiver; Co-founder, PROJECT 375

NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall may be best-known to television audiences for his decade on the professional gridiron, but he is working hardest to leave his most enduring legacy in the mental health community as co-founder of PROJECT 375.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Brandon played football at Lake Howell High School after his family moved to Central Florida. He distinguished himself as a star athlete at the University of Central Florida, where he was named game MVP of the 2005 Hawaii Bowl during his senior year. In 2006 he was drafted by the Denver Broncos, subsequently joining the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears and New York Jets. Brandon has had an immensely successful professional career with 65 touchdowns, 9,771 yards, 773 receptions and five Pro Bowl appearances, named 2012 Pro Bowl MVP and first-team All-Pro the same year.

While Brandon Marshall triumphed under stadium lights as one of the best wide receivers in professional football, his personal life was in turmoil. Finally, a revelation came in 2011 when he was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, a mental illness characterized by a persistent instability of emotions, behaviors and relationships. With his wife Michi, a mental health professional, Brandon co-founded PROJECT 375 to help promote awareness of mental health and end the stigma, encouraging people to step forward and get assessed.

Along with nurturing philanthropic and corporate partnerships, Brandon Marshall is creating and investing in select business ventures, from co-founding a South Florida fitness academy, FitSpeed, to supporting the new Harry Caray’s and Chicago Sports Museum.