Brandon Marshall and Nick Wright were familiar debate partners on FS1’s First Things First.
But Marshall says a behind-the-scenes argument between the two resulted in the six-time Pro Bowl receiver threatening to quit the show, on which he was a panelist from 2020-2021.
It started with a segment about Kawhi Leonard.
“Kawhi Leonard missed his plane and he was late, and [Wright] was just on bashing him, bashing him, bashing him,” Marshall told Front Office Sports on an upcoming episode of Portfolio Players. “And we call it ‘take integrity’ in that space, right? We got into it on air, and then afterwards, we start having this conversation.”
Marshall repeatedly cautioned that he admires Wright and learned a lot working with him, but said Wright’s take regarding Leonard’s tardiness didn’t sit well with him—because Wright had developed his own reputation for a lack of punctuality.
“I said, ‘I don’t respect you, because you just went on live television and said this and that because he was late,’” Marshall said. “I said, ‘Every day at 5 a.m. on our team calls, you’re late, we’re always waiting for you. There’s 30 people on this call and every day, 5:05, 5:06, you’re getting on this call. So you can say that publicly, but how are you showing up privately?’”
The argument got so bad that Marshall attempted to quit the show. Then-Fox Sports content head Charlie Dixon even attempted to intervene, only for the former Chicago Bears star to pass the executive on to his agent.
“I’m done with this shit,” Marshall remembers thinking to himself at the time. Much like Wright, however, Marshall’s words didn’t match his actions.
“I was on like the next day,” he said with a laugh. “We got over it. And I love Nick to this day. He’s one of the greatest. He taught me a lot.”
As for his own future in television, don’t expect to see Marshall on your TV regularly any time soon. Having already gotten his fill on the sports media grind—and preparation that comes with it—the 42-year-old has now turned his attention to another side of the business.
“My dream is to represent the next wave of talent,” Marshall said. “That’s what my dream is: Looking at the talent that’s coming and put them in positions. That’s what they want to do, and they love that.”
