Former NFL wide receiver Brandon Marshall is facing criticism for sharing a video via Instagram in which he is seen punishing his son by making him run at 2 a.m.
“This is my son, not my friend…,” Marshall, 42, wrote in the caption.
In the video, Marshall is driving slowly alongside his son, who he says is being forced to run as a punishment.
“Discipline correction is good,” he can be heard saying out the window. “Even at 2 in the morning, we run. I’m gonna put my hands on you. I’m training you up to be a warrior. I’m training you up to be a leader. To serve. To have discipline. To be better than me.”
He continued, “If you don’t start running, we’re gonna go three miles. So you better start running because you don’t know when I’m gonna tell you to stop. You don’t wanna listen? We run. We work. 2 in the morning. Let’s go. Faster. I’m driving 3 miles per hour. You should be going at 8 or 9 miles per hour.”
At that point, Marshall’s son began moving faster as his dad read out his speed on the speedometer.
“Here we go, now we moving. Run,” Marshall added. “That’s how you’re gonna learn. Come on.”
The comments on Marshall’s post, which has also amassed nearly 7,000 likes as of Monday, June 22, were split between fans who applauded him for instilling discipline and others accusing him of child abuse. Many critics seemed to take issue in particular with his decision to share the video on social media.
“You should NEVER discipline a child with embarrassment,” one follower wrote. “It messes up their mental health state. Kids are people too. This is so lame. It didn’t need to be public. If this is how you wanted to discipline, that’s fine. You did this to show off on the internet. I hope you take this down.”
Another added, “That’s family business, not instagram business 🤷🏾♂️.”
“These boys need this type of discipline!” a third follower wrote. ”I’ll never tell my son’s dad to chill when he’s doing man/father things. Handle it so the other man doesn’t have to do it for you. Good job @bmarshall 👏.”
Marshall played 13 seasons in the NFL for seven different teams. He holds the NFL record for receptions in a game (21), as well as the Denver Broncos’ single-game reception record (18).
Off the field, Marshall shares three kids with ex-wife Michi Nogami, to whom he was married from 2010 to 2022. He married his current wife, Kristen Jacques, in July 2025.
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