Brandon Marshall: 'Time to move on' from Sheldon Richardson feud

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. --New York Jets receiver Brandon Marshall addressed his feud with defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson on Tuesday, telling reporters he believes it's "in the past" and that it's "time to move on."

Marshall strode into the Jets' locker room Tuesday and waved members of the media to his locker. He said he understood the feud with Richardson was the news of the day, so he decided to address it.

Marshall said he had not spoken to Richardson, who told reporters after the Jets' 41-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Saturday that Marshall should be "embarrassed" but didn't explain why.

Asked if he had plans to seek out Richardson and talk, Marshall indicated he did not.

"Um, we have one more week,'' Marshall said of the Jets, who close out the season Sunday against Buffalo. "I'm sure we'll cross paths. We see each other more than we see our families. We're here six days out of the week, long hours, so I'm sure we'll cross paths. But that story's in the past. He said what he said, I said what I said, and it's time to move on and go win a ballgame.''

Richardson declined to answer questions about Marshall on Tuesday, though he insisted, "I have no beef'' with him.

The two players have had a couple of skirmishes this season, the latest coming after Sunday's loss, which Marshall initially called "embarrassing." When reporters relayed what Marshall said to Richardson a few minutes later, Richardson said, "He should be embarrassed.''

Asked why Marshall should be embarrassed, Richardson replied, "No reason. He just should be. He knows what he did.''

Tracked down by two reporters en route to the team bus, Marshall said of Richardson's comments: "I'm a little caught off guard, to be honest with you guys. I don't know where it's coming from."

Jets coach Todd Bowles said he had spoken to the entire team about the comments.

"We don't handle things like that outside," Bowles said. "We handle everything in house. I'd rather for a guy to be frustrated and pissed off, which means they care, than lackadaisical and nonchalant, which means he doesn't. We just got to handle it better.''

Marshall was asked why he wouldn't seek out Richardson to try to clear the air, but he declined to answer, saying instead that while he is proud of his individual accomplishments, he yearns to play in the postseason and win a Super Bowl and is only motivated by team goals.

He was asked why it is that he and Richardson seemed to clash with one another: "Alpha males, I guess," he said. "I don't know.''

The explanation was the same one he had provided when talking about the postgame locker-room confrontation he had had with Richardson following the Jets' loss to Kansas City earlier in the season.

Some weeks ago, Marshall had said that as difficult as this season has been for the Jets, at least the locker room had not splintered apart. Tuesday, he couldn't say that anymore. Instead, he suggested this kind of conflict is to be expected on a team that is 4-11.

"There's a lot you guys don't know about," he said. "If we don't have problems like that, then something's wrong. I'm surprised there wasn't any fistfights, with this type of year. It would have been valid if we did have some. It's unacceptable.

"This is ball. This isn't a game. A lot of people say this is a game; this isn't a game -- this is big business. It's a 10 billion [dollar] business."