- The Washington Times - Wednesday, September 28, 2016

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed Austin Seferian-Jenkins on waivers last week following a DUI arrest. It was the second time Seferian-Jenkins was arrested for DUI as a member of the Buccaneers, and Tampa Bay opted to place the 23-year-old tight end on waivers.

Seferian-Jenkins was claimed by the New York Jets, and that may have been the best option him.

Seferian-Jenkins is now teammates with veteran Brandon Marshall, a wide receiver who had his fair share of problems as a younger player, but has since become a model example of how to handle yourself within the NFL.

Marshall was excited for Seferian-Jenkins’ arrival, as he sees it as an opportunity to help someone out who really needs it. In fact, Marshall wanted to help Seferian-Jenkins even before he he became a Jet. According to Marshall, the 32-year-old receiver reached out to Seferian-Jenkins right after his DUI arrest.

“We’ve been talking for a while. He’s a great talent,” Marshall said. “When I heard [Monday] we claimed him, I was like, ’This is God-sent.’ If he needs me, I’m there. I’ve already connected him with the right people in the city if he needs them.”

Marshall can very much relate to Seferian-Jenkins’ situation, having been involved in numerous domestic violence cases himself: he’s been accused of punching a woman in the face, he was stabbed by his wife, had a DUI arrest and was present at a nightclub shooting in which his teammate during his time with the Denver Broncos, Darrent Williams, was murdered.

But since 2012, Marshall has stayed out of trouble. He was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and he co-founded Project375, a mental health awareness organization.

Marshall seems to have a lot of faith in his new teammate and wants to give him every opportunity to succeed in his career.

“Guys need second chances,” Marshall said. “When you make a mistake, it doesn’t mean you are a bad person. You need people to believe in you, and sometimes a fresh start is a good start.

There are a lot of people that make terrible decisions, but it doesn’t make them terrible people,” he said.

• Tommy Chalk can be reached at tchalk@washingtontimes.com.

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