ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – The Broncos took a break from their training camp schedule to continue their education on preventing domestic abuse, sexual assault and driving under the influence as part of the NFL's Continuing Education Program on Monday afternoon.
Players and coaches attended the nearly 90-minute presentation that included three sections with videos from survivors and perpetrators on each subject.
"I think it's very good," Head Coach Gary Kubiak said of the program. "I think the league does a great job and is doing everything they can to continue to educate players. They did a really good job [Monday]. [It was] very interactive, players asked questions. That's a good thing. I think the players would tell you that they enjoyed it."
The presentation opened with discussions on sexual assault that not only discussed different instances of sexual assault and consent, but also stressed the importance of being an 'engaged bystander' and how to help those who have been assaulted. An engaged bystander is someone who is aware of those in danger of being assaulted and who will aid them.
Brandon Marshall and his family helped put together a clothing drive for the Rose Andom Center and survivors of domestic violence.
"This is an extraordinary platform that we have," said Cindy Kellogg, the Broncos' vice president of community development. "It's a platform of a lot of influence and so to be able to affect societal change through that platform, is a very unique and serious opportunity for us to make a difference."
The second section covered domestic abuse and how to help someone in a violent relationship. This portion of the presentation hit home for inside linebacker Brandon Marshall. Marshall's family was impacted by domestic abuse when his brother, Marcus, and mother, Barbara, fled to a shelter 16 years ago after her ex-husband broke into their house.
"It's huge because it means so much to my mom, so it means a lot to me," Marshall said. "I care a lot about what she cares about and me being there in that situation, being there when it happened -- it affected me for the rest of my life. So as long as I live, as long as I'm in this league, I definitely want to be an advocate for it because I've seen how it affects my family. I see how it tore my mom down, but she still stayed strong."
To conclude the presentation, the players and coaches learned about the different ways to prevent driving under the influence. This portion included videos from NFL players that drove while under the influence, one of which featured Tennessee Titan Delanie Walker's story of losing his aunt and uncle to a DUI-related accident.
The presentation concluded with an opportunity for players and coaches to ask questions regarding any topics that were covered.
