Hopefully this will put an end to Marshall's legal troubles for good.  The question remains, however, whether his 1 game suspension was all encompassing, including this case which was pending at the time, or if further sanctions as a result of the guilty plea can be handed down --

From CBS4Denver --

Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired Friday afternoon in connection with a drunk driving arrest last October.

Marshall declined comment and left the Denver courtroom with his attorney.

Marshall's blood alcohol level was .116, prosecutors said, when he was arrested on Interstate 25. The legal limit for DUI in Colorado is .08 and above.

The city's attorney's office agreed to drop a pending traffic case from June as part of the plea deal. The judge also agreed to drop charges of driving the wrong direction on a one-way street and wandering out of his lane. 

Prosecutors say Marshall must pay $1,100 in fees and fines and will likely be required to serve 24 hours of community service and attend alcohol-treatment classes and a victim-impact panel. He'll be on probation for one year, which the city prosecutor said could end early if Marshall completes his assigned sentence, which includes attending victim impact panels.

A jury trial on the DUI charge was slated to start in 4 days.

Marshall is slated to return to action Sunday against the San Diego charges after serving a one game suspension by the NFL and missing the season opening against the Oakland Chargers.

Hear that?  That is the sound of a collective sigh of relief in Broncos Country.  Brandon Marshall, who was scheduled to miss the first two to three games of the season for violating the League's Conduct Policy won his appeal, having the suspension cut in half.  Marshall will now miss just one game - next week's opener against the Raiders - and will be permitted to come back September 9th in preperation for the Broncos' Home Opener against the Chargers.

Per NFL.com --

Marshall will be suspended for one game without pay plus an additional fine of one game check. He will begin the suspension on Aug. 30 and miss the Broncos' regular-season opener against the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 8. He is eligible to return to the active roster on Sept. 9.

Marshall was in New York on Tuesday to appeal his three-game suspension.

Earlier this month NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Marshall over a series of off-the-field misdeeds, most notably his March 6 arrest on a domestic violence warrant filed by his former girlfriend in Atlanta. No charges have been filed in that case.

Marshall caught 102 passes for 1,325 yards and 7 touchdowns last season and has shown no falloff this summer despite suffering a gash on his right arm that required emergency surgery this spring and sidelined him for almost all of the team's offseason field work.

This is obviously great news for the Broncos. The Raiders game is a must-win with or without Marshall, and frankly, the Broncos should be able to beat the silver and black without their best receiver. Knowing he'll be back for Week 2 should motivate the team to get it done in his absence.

Hopefully this is the end of just a bad chapter in the book of Brandon Marshall's life and the rest of the story has nothing but happy endings and shiny, glistening trophies!

Hat tip to Bradley and Darin H for being all over this!

Brandon Marshall was not on the practice field this afternoon.  In fact, he was about 1500 miles away, traveling to New York City to have his appeal heard at the NFL League Office.  Marshall was accompanied to NYC by his attorney, Harvey Steinberg, and will not be heard by the Commissioner Roger Goodell. 

Word around the camp fire is that Marshall and the Broncos are hoping to have the length of the suspension reduced to just one game, the opener in Oakland.  That would still be a bit painful but would mean the Broncos most dangerous weapon would be on the field and ready to go when the Chargers come to town Week 2. 

Since the suspension is scheduled to begin this Saturday, most assume that the League will render its decision before Friday's game in Arizona. 

The Broncos are hoping the League takes a similar approach to the one they took last week with Green Bay Packers Linebacker Nick Barnett.  Barnett had been notified in June that he was going to be suspended for his role in an incident at a Green Bay-area bar.  Barnett was surprised by the suspension because the charges in the case had been reduced to one civil ordinance violation for throwing another person's cell phone against a wall.

Through an appeal process granted every NFL player receiving discipline, Barnett was able to reduce a one-game suspension to forfeiture of one week's salary. Thus, Barnett will be available for the opener in Minnesota, but he'll be docked $155,882, which constitutes 1/17th of his $2.65 million earnings this season.

If the NFL does in fact reduce Marshall's suspension it is likely that he would still miss a game, though 1 missed games is certainly better than 2 or 3.

Brandon Marshall officially filed an appeal of hsi 3-game suspension, though the appeal itself is heard by the man who rendered the punishment, Roger Goodell --

Goodell had found the Broncos' receiver in violation of the league's personal conduct policy. An appeal hearing has not been set, although it's expected before the season-opening week.

Appeal aside, Goodell said he would consider reducing the suspension to two games if Marshall met certain conditions.

The New Orleans Saints, the Broncos' Game 3 opponent, might be interested to learn the most significant condition is for Marshall to stay free from trouble and disturbances through Sept. 15, which is when he can be reinstated.

Does Marshall have a "snow-ball's chance in Goodell" to have the suspension reduced?  My gut tells me no, though that could be the enchiladas I ate last night.  Hopefully Goodell sees that Marshall is doing everything he can to make right and cuts it down to one, or dare I say, just a stern warning.  Stay Tuned.

In what has become the worst handling of any conduct case in NFL history(remember, they really didn't care what players did off the field before Roger Goodell took over), the worst kept secret in the history of sports became a reality when the NFL officially made official the officially official punishment levied against WR Brandon Marshall. 

via www.emqb.com

In a statement by the league -

A league spokesperson said the suspension could be dropped to two games if Marshall undergoes counseling during the suspension.

"If Marshall fully complies with required counseling and other conditions of the suspension, Commissioner Goodell will consider reducing the suspension to two games," the statement read.

Marshall will be eligible to return to the Broncos' active roster on Monday, Sept. 22, a day after the team's game against the New Orleans Saints.

He is eligible to participate in all preseason practices and games.

Marshall was arrested in March on a domestic violence allegation by his ex-girlfriend, and is due in court in September for a trial on a drunken driving arrest from October 2007. He as been arrested three times in the past year.

The third-year pro emerged as the Broncos' top receiver last season after the loss of veterans Javon Walker and Rod Smith to injuries, developing a strong rapoire with quarterback Jay Cutler. Marshall set career-highs and led the Broncos in receptions (102), receiving yards (1,325) and touchdowns (seven).

The penalty is subject to appeal, and depending on what sources you read it appears Marshall will do just that.  Something tells me, however, that appealing the suspension is likely not part of the stipulation that "Marshall comply with all conditions of the suspension", which would knock a game off the punishment.

We all knew this was coming so we should all be prepared for it.  We have gone back and forth about whether we agree/disagree, feel it was deserved/undeserved, and whether it is fair/unfair.   Let's leave that to the other sites now.  With all the intelligent Broncos fans that call MHR home, let's focus ON THE FIELD, and what this means to Spetember 8th and beyond.  That is going to me my take when I get my thoughts together. 

I know, I know, another story on Brandon Marshall and his pending case with the NFL.  This time there is some substance for you since Roger Goodell made comments earlier today specifically about the Wide Receiver's case.  When asked this afternoon about Marshall, Goodell, who is in Canton as part of the Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies, implied that a decision about Marshall is coming soon.

"We are in the final stages of that,” Goodell said. “We’ve had a hearing, we’ve had discussions. We’ve got a little more work to do — which was actually done (Friday) morning — and we should be making a ruling very shortly.”

Goodell also went on to explain the process involved when a player is "called to the carpet" by the Commissioner.

"First is to understand all the facts, to understand all the perspective,” Goodell said. “So we clearly understand the circumstances in which an incident or incidents occurred. Then we also look at the individual player and how they view the incident and how they view their behavior and how they understand that there are consequences with the kind of action they may have been involved with."

“They also understand what I expect of them and I communicate with them what I expect of them as an NFL player.”

With the Hall of Fame, coupled with the Brett Favre embarrassment, League matters have ground to a halt.  Hopefully the delay has more to do with the League putting in the time to understand the "offenses" than it is Favre.

Thinking ahead, should Marshall get suspended, he would be able to practice and play during the Pre-Season.

Many people long for the days when Adam Schefter was on the Broncos beat.  He always seemed to have the scoop, always had his hand on the pulse of the Broncos. 

This time, we hope he's wrong.

In Schefter's report on Brandon Marshall's meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell he states that Marshall is

"facing a 4-8 game suspension for a pattern of conduct the NFL does not approve".

He goes on the state the obvious,

"Losing Marshall for at least a quarter of the season would be a blow to the Broncos."

One thing to make clear.  This is Schefter's opinion, and nowhere does he say that he has heard this from a source.  He even suggests the NFL is still considering what to do with Marshall - 

"But Marshall was arrested three times in the span of one year, though he has yet to be convicted. The league now is weighing whether it should suspend Marshall, and how long the suspension would be."

Schefter has always done a good job of "putting 2+2 together".  He knows past history and how the NFL has handled similar cases.  I am still on the 2-game suspension train, but is that wishful thinking?  Needless to say, it could be an interesting couple of days in Denver for me if news of a prolonged suspension comes down next week.