Latest news with #BrandonMarshall
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bears All-Quarter Century Team: Wide receivers
Twenty-five years of Chicago Bears football are in the books since the turn of the century. Since the calendar turned over to 2000, the Bears have seen some success, but also plenty of woeful stretches. Early on, Chicago became a defensive force, claiming four division titles and reaching only their second Super Bowl in franchise history from 2000 to 2010. Since then, however, a 14-year playoff victory drought that is still ongoing and a one-sided fight with their rival Green Bay Packers have taken the spotlight. For all the ups and downs the Bears have seen, however, they had plenty of talent over the years across offense and defense. Multiple former Bears players are already in the Hall of Fame, while many more provided years of incredible play in the navy and orange. Advertisement Here at Bears Wire, we're celebrating the best Bears players at each position over the last 25 years. We're going position by position to name the Bears' All-Quarter Century Team for those who played from 2000 through 2024. Up next are wide receivers, a position that once struggled in Chicago but has seen plenty of production over the last 15 years. Brandon Marshall 2012 - 2014 279 receptions, 3,524 yards, 31 touchdowns Nov 16, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) celebrates his touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports For much of the 21st century, Chicago was where wide receivers went to die. At least according to Muhsin Muhammad, who failed to live up to lofty expectations when he signed as a free agent in 2005. That all changed with the arrival of Brandon Marshall, who gave the Bears their first true superstar wide receiver when he was acquired via trade in 2012 from the Miami Dolphins. Advertisement Marshall reunited with quarterback Jay Cutler and wasted no time in reliving their glory days from their time with the Denver Broncos. The star pass catcher set a team single-season record for receptions (118) and receiving yards (1,508) in 2012, earning him First-Team All-Pro honors—the first for a wide receiver in Bears history since Dick Gordon in 1970. Marshall quite literally was the Bears offense that year and followed it up with another stellar campaign in 2013 with over 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns. Though Marshall's Bears career lasted just three seasons, he made a lasting impact on the field. Marshall was a beast who took over games and proved time and time again he would not be denied, whether it was in the open field, in the red zone, or even run blocking. Alshon Jeffery 2012 - 2016 304 receptions, 4,549 yards, 26 touchdowns Oct 18, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (17) during the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports The Bears weren't satisfied with adding just one big-bodied wide receiver during the 2012 offseason. After acquiring Marshall, the Bears drafted Alshon Jeffery in the second round of the 2012 draft, and it proved to be a shrewd move. Jeffery broke out his second year, totaling over 1,400 receiving yards while adding seven touchdowns. He broke the team's single-game receiving record early in the season with 218 yards, then broke his own record a couple of months later with 249 yards. Advertisement Jeffery was a stellar deep-ball specialist, making unreal catches time and again. He and Marshall were arguably the best receiving duo in the league at the time, which benefitted Jeffery's growth early in his career. Though Jeffery's play dipped in his last two seasons in Chicago due to injuries and suspensions, he was always a threat to make a big play in the passing game. Jeffery has the third-most receiving yards in Bears history, and he likely would have broken Johnny Morris' franchise record had he been able to stay on the field his final couple of seasons. Regardless, Jeffery was one of the best receivers in franchise history, and his 1,421 receiving yards in 2013 is still the second-highest total in a season behind Marshall. Allen Robinson 2018 - 2021 293 receptions, 3,561 yards, 18 touchdowns Sep 27, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson II (12) runs against Atlanta Falcons safety Damontae Kazee (27) during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports At the end of the 2010s, the Bears desperately needed a proven wide receiver to step up as a reliable option in the pass game. Allen Robinson did that and more when he signed as a free agent in 2018. Robinson wasn't the biggest or fastest player on the field, but he was technically sound and caught pretty much everything thrown his way. Advertisement From 2018 through 2020, Robinson had the best three-year stretch of his career in Chicago. He caught 255 passes for 3,151 yards and 17 touchdowns and helped get the Bears to the postseason twice. His performance in the 2018 Wild Card game against the Philadelphia Eagles set a team record for most receiving yards in a playoff game with 143. For a moment, it looked like Robinson was going to threaten Morris' career franchise record given his production and the possibility of an extension. That didn't happen as Robinson fell off his final season and bounced around the league for the next couple of years. Like other Bears receivers, his tenure didn't end the best, but there's no denying his overall production while in Chicago. Marty Booker 1999 - 2003, 2008 310 receptions, 3,676 yards, 22 touchdowns ATLANTA - OCTOBER 12: Marty Booker #86of the Chicago Bears celebrates during the game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on October 12, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) The final spot in our rankings was a toss-up between Marty Booker and DJ Moore, but we opted to go with the former thanks to his Bears longevity and consistent production in an era where passing wasn't as prevalent as it is today. Booker technically joined the Bears in 1999 but didn't break out until 2001, when he totaled 100 receptions (a team record at the time) for 1,071 yards and eight touchdowns. Advertisement Booker followed that up with another stellar season, totaling 1,189 yards and six touchdowns. That earned him Pro Bowl honors, the first for a Bears receiver since Dick Gordon in 1972. Booker was on his way to climbing to the top of the Bears' career receiving records but was traded to the Miami Dolphins in 2004 for Adewale Ogunleye. The trade proved to be worth it for the Bears, and Booker got his swan song in Chicago when he returned on a one-year deal in 2008. Honorable mention: DJ Moore Bears All-Quarter Century Team 6/22: Quarterbacks 6/22: Running backs 6/23: Wide receivers 6/23: Tight ends 6/24: Offensive line 6/24: Defensive tackles 6/25: Defensive ends 6/25: Linebackers 6/26: Cornerbacks 6/26: Safeties 6/27: Specialists Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears All-Quarter Century Team: Wide receivers
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Overdose deaths fell by 30,000 last year — declining in every state except two
Overdose deaths in the U.S. plummeted by nearly 30,000 year-on-year - the largest decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,391 people died from drugs in 2024, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and prevention data. That marks a decrease of 27 percent from the 110,000 deaths reported in 2023. 'I would characterize this as a historically significant decrease in overdose deaths,' Brandon Marshall, a Brown University School of Public Health epidemiologist, told The Washington Post. 'We're really seeing decreases almost across the entire nation at this point.' Deaths fell in all states but two: Nevada and South Dakota. They declined in all major categories of drug use, including stimulants and opioids. The health agency credited President Donald Trump's actions during his first term, saying that Congressional support since 2017 has enabled it to expand critical data systems and strengthen overdose prevention capacity across all states. Notably, the overdose-reversing drug naloxone has become more widely available. 'These investments have empowered us to rapidly collect, analyze, and share actionable data — enabling communities to better understand the specific drivers of overdose in their area and tailor prevention strategies to meet their unique local needs,' the agency added. 'Since late 2023, overdose deaths have steadily declined each month — a strong sign that public health interventions are making a difference and having a meaningful impact.' However, overdose remains the leading cause of death for American adults between the ages of 18 to 44, the CDC noted, 'underscoring the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress.' Annual overdose deaths are still higher than they were before the Covid pandemic, and a recent study revealed that a quarter of children in the U.S. have at least one parent with a substance use disorder. The announcement also comes following major cuts to federal funding and research at the hand of the Trump administration, sparking concern among researchers. 'I don't see how it can be sustained, with the kinds of deep cuts that they're taking to many of the programs that have been driving these reductions,' Traci C. Green, an epidemiologist at Brandeis University, told The New York Times. 'Now is not the time to take the foot off the gas pedal,' Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a drug policy expert at the University of California, San Francisco, said. With reporting by The Associated Press
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Overdose deaths fell by 30,000 last year — declining in every state except two
Overdose deaths in the U.S. plummeted by nearly 30,000 year-on-year - the largest decline ever recorded. An estimated 80,391 people died from drugs in 2024, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control and prevention data. That marks a decrease of 27 percent from the 110,000 deaths reported in 2023. 'I would characterize this as a historically significant decrease in overdose deaths,' Brandon Marshall, a Brown University School of Public Health epidemiologist, told The Washington Post. 'We're really seeing decreases almost across the entire nation at this point.' Deaths fell in all states but two: Nevada and South Dakota. They declined in all major categories of drug use, including stimulants and opioids. The health agency credited President Donald Trump's actions during his first term, saying that Congressional support since 2017 has enabled it to expand critical data systems and strengthen overdose prevention capacity across all states. Notably, the overdose-reversing drug naloxone has become more widely available. 'These investments have empowered us to rapidly collect, analyze, and share actionable data — enabling communities to better understand the specific drivers of overdose in their area and tailor prevention strategies to meet their unique local needs,' the agency added. 'Since late 2023, overdose deaths have steadily declined each month — a strong sign that public health interventions are making a difference and having a meaningful impact.' However, overdose remains the leading cause of death for American adults between the ages of 18 to 44, the CDC noted, 'underscoring the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress.' Annual overdose deaths are still higher than they were before the Covid pandemic, and a recent study revealed that a quarter of children in the U.S. have at least one parent with a substance use disorder. The announcement also comes following major cuts to federal funding and research at the hand of the Trump administration, sparking concern among researchers. 'I don't see how it can be sustained, with the kinds of deep cuts that they're taking to many of the programs that have been driving these reductions,' Traci C. Green, an epidemiologist at Brandeis University, told The New York Times. 'Now is not the time to take the foot off the gas pedal,' Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a drug policy expert at the University of California, San Francisco, said.
Boston Globe
14-05-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
US drug deaths plunged in 2024. Trump cuts may reverse that, experts warn.
Advertisement The progress comes after drug deaths, which had been rising for more than a decade, soared to staggering levels during the coronavirus pandemic, surpassing 100,000 each year starting in 2021. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I would characterize this as a historically significant decrease in overdose deaths,' said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University School of Public Health epidemiologist who studies overdose trends. 'We're really seeing decreases almost across the entire nation at this point.' The data published Wednesday charts a dramatic decline in deaths during then-President Joe Biden's final year in office. The Trump administration has espoused hard-line rhetoric on fentanyl, declaring traffickers a top national security threat and citing them as a key reason for launching trade battles with China and allies Canada and Mexico. The administration has also touted large fentanyl seizures and asked Mexico to allow the US military to conduct counternarcotics operations on Mexican soil, a request denied by that country's president. Advertisement The CDC, in a statement, noted that Trump during his first administration declared the opioid crisis a public-health emergency in 2017. The declines since 2023 are a 'strong sign that public health interventions are making a difference and having a meaningful impact,' the agency said. 'Despite these overall improvements, overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44, underscoring the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress.' The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, in an April statement of policy priorities, emphasized curbing the flow of illicit fentanyl, along with expanding access to treatment and research into cutting-edge technologies to identify and address emerging drug threats. But public health advocates are raising alarm that the Trump administration is undercutting those goals with plans to gut federal funding that helps states pay for overdose antidotes, addiction treatment and other measures. A survey conducted by the nonprofit research firm Rand published in May suggests that more people may be using illicit opioids than previously estimated, underscoring the need for better monitoring. In a letter to Congress on Monday, more than 300 academics warned that the Trump administration's proposed cuts to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and CDC could 'undermine the hard-fought progress we have made, especially in overdose prevention.' Experts also worry Republican plans to slash Medicaid could leave former drug users without access to medication, forcing them to turn to street drugs, said Chad Sabora, a drug policy expert who helped organize the letter. 'It will equal more people dying,' he said. Advertisement What explains the drop? The opioid crisis began decades ago with highly addictive prescription pain killers flooding states. Users later turned to cheaper street heroin, which was largely replaced by fentanyl manufactured by Mexican organized crime groups with precursor chemicals sourced from China. The synthetic drug can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin. No single reason explains the sudden drop in deaths, researchers and health officials stress. The Biden administration credited seizures of fentanyl at the southern border, arrests of high-level Mexican drug traffickers and cooperation from Beijing to crack down on unscrupulous Chinese companies exporting precursor chemicals. The administration also expanded access to addiction treatment medications such as buprenorphine, which wards off opioid withdrawals, and the overdose reversal drug naloxone. It also embraced harm reduction organizations that have saturated communities with free naloxone, fentanyl test strips and sterile needles to users. Fewer deaths 'don't just happen overnight. And that's why we can credit them to the Biden administration's work,' said Sheila P. Vakharia, deputy director of research and academic engagement for the nonprofit Drug Policy Alliance. Experts also believe that the illicit drug supply, at least in some regions, may be shifting to include less fentanyl. Other drugs added to fentanyl - such as the tranquilizer xylazine - may prolong the sedating effect and stave off opioid withdrawal so that users consume less fentanyl each day, researchers theorize. Declines in deaths may also reflect the grim reality that fentanyl has killed so many regular users that there are fewer people at risk of overdose. The trajectory of deaths 'can't keep going up. It has essentially to kind of burn itself out,' said Caleb Banta-Green, an addiction expert and drug researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Advertisement During Biden's first three years, the death toll topped 100,000 each year. Deaths during a 12-month period peaked in June 2023 at a staggering 114,670, making the rapid drop nationally all the more remarkable, said Nabarun Dasgupta, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He stressed that deaths had been falling in certain regions where fentanyl had been entrenched for longer. 'Americans have responded to the overdose crisis with powerful community efforts, from every small town to large city. What we are seeing is the fruit of all that collective labor. These local efforts are the heart of overdose prevention,' Dasgupta said. A state-by-state look The CDC data released on Wednesday is not definitive; final death statistics lag because toxicology testing often takes months to complete. Deaths involving stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine - which users increasingly take alongside fentanyl - also decreased, the statistics show. Two states, Nevada and South Dakota notched slight increases from the previous year. But nearly all states showed declines in 2024. States such as New Hampshire, West Virginia and Ohio recorded declines of 35 percent or more. In Washington state, where fentanyl became entrenched years later than on the East Coast, suspected drug deaths dropped by nearly 12 percent, after years of increases, for a total of 3,167. In King County, home to Seattle, health officials distributed 124,700 naloxone kits in 2024 and opened three vending machines for people to obtain the medication, fentanyl test strips and other supplies. County officials and the University of Washington Department of Emergency Medicine also debuted a hotline for doctors to prescribe buprenorphine through free telehealth sessions at any time of day. The city's mayor in August announced an investment of nearly $3 million in opioid litigation settlement money to increase capacity for inpatient treatment. Advertisement But the state health department's top medical officer, Tao Kwan-Gett, urged cautioned. Washington overdose deaths fell through much of 2024 but spiked during the final four months of the year. 'It's too early to say that we're seeing a sustained decrease,' Kwan-Gett said. 'I certainly hope we are, but I think we have to continue being vigilant.' The encouraging statistics in Washington and nationwide belie the heartbreak of addiction - and death. Among the victims nationwide in 2024: a 17-month-old Los Angeles boy who ingested fentanyl during a child welfare-monitored visit with his mother; a 15-year-old girl who fatally overdosed on fentanyl at her Georgia high school, nine people who fatally overdosed in Austin, during one day. In Seattle, former movie set designer Wade Paradise battled an opioid addiction for years after taking prescription pain killers. He was largely estranged from his family, living in squalor and suffering from myriad ailments, according to his daughter, Nathalie Paradise, 24. She said Wade Paradise had struggled to get addiction treatment because of problems with health insurance. In December, he died at age 68 in his home from a pill made of fentanyl. His death received little attention but for Nathalie's GoFundMe page in which she recalled cherished childhood memories of summer swims in a lake and bargain hunting at thrift stores - and detailed his addiction. 'I didn't want it to be a secret anymore. I felt like the people in his life deserved to know the truth,' she said in an interview. 'I also have a lot of friends who use drugs, and I hoped that by sharing my story, it might encourage them to stop.' Advertisement
Washington Post
14-05-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
U.S. drug deaths plunged in 2024. Trump cuts may reverse that, experts warn.
U.S. drug deaths plunged in 2024, according to federal data published Wednesday, offering hope that public health measures are paying off even as the toll remains high. Though there doesn't seem to be a single variable to attribute to the gains, the drop in overdose deaths comes amid concerns that cuts to federal public health agencies and proposals to cut Medicaid could undercut progress. An estimated 80,391 people died from drugs in 2024, a decrease of nearly 27 percent from the previous year, according to provisional state data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deaths from synthetic opioids — chiefly fentanyl, which has fueled the overdose crisis during the past decade — played a role in the majority of drug deaths but tumbled by nearly 28,000 fatalities, the estimates show. The progress comes after drug deaths, which had been rising for more than a decade, soared to staggering levels during the coronavirus pandemic, surpassing 100,000 each year starting in 2021. 'I would characterize this as a historically significant decrease in overdose deaths,' said Brandon Marshall, a Brown University School of Public Health epidemiologist who studies overdose trends. 'We're really seeing decreases almost across the entire nation at this point.' The data published Wednesday charts a dramatic decline in deaths during then-President Joe Biden's final year in office. The Trump administration has espoused hard-line rhetoric on fentanyl, declaring traffickers a top national security threat and citing them as a key reason for launching trade battles with China and allies Canada and Mexico. The administration has also touted large fentanyl seizures and asked Mexico to allow the U.S. military to conduct counternarcotics operations on Mexican soil, a request denied by that country's president. The CDC, in a statement, noted that Trump during his first administration declared the opioid crisis a public-health emergency in 2017. The declines since 2023 are a 'strong sign that public health interventions are making a difference and having a meaningful impact,' the agency said. 'Despite these overall improvements, overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44, underscoring the need for ongoing efforts to maintain this progress.' The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, in an April statement of policy priorities, emphasized curbing the flow of illicit fentanyl, along with expanding access to treatment and research into cutting-edge technologies to identify and address emerging drug threats. But public health advocates are raising alarm that the Trump administration is undercutting those goals with plans to gut federal funding that helps states pay for overdose antidotes, addiction treatment and other measures. A survey conducted by the nonprofit research firm Rand published in May suggests that more people may be using illicit opioids than previously estimated, underscoring the need for better monitoring. In a letter to Congress on Monday, more than 300 academics warned that the Trump administration's proposed cuts to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and CDC could 'undermine the hard-fought progress we have made, especially in overdose prevention.' Experts also worry Republican plans to slash Medicaid could leave former drug users without access to medication, forcing them to turn to street drugs, said Chad Sabora, a drug policy expert who helped organize the letter. 'It will equal more people dying,' he said. The opioid crisis began decades ago with highly addictive prescription pain killers flooding states. Users later turned to cheaper street heroin, which was largely replaced by fentanyl manufactured by Mexican organized crime groups with precursor chemicals sourced from China. The synthetic drug can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin. No single reason explains the sudden drop in deaths, researchers and health officials stress. The Biden administration credited seizures of fentanyl at the southern border, arrests of high-level Mexican drug traffickers and cooperation from Beijing to crack down on unscrupulous Chinese companies exporting precursor chemicals. The administration also expanded access to addiction treatment medications such as buprenorphine, which wards off opioid withdrawals, and the overdose reversal drug naloxone. It also embraced harm reduction organizations that have saturated communities with free naloxone, fentanyl test strips and sterile needles to users. Fewer deaths 'don't just happen overnight. And that's why we can credit them to the Biden administration's work,' said Sheila P. Vakharia, deputy director of research and academic engagement for the nonprofit Drug Policy Alliance. Experts also believe that the illicit drug supply, at least in some regions, may be shifting to include less fentanyl. Other drugs added to fentanyl — such as the tranquilizer xylazine — may prolong the sedating effect and stave off opioid withdrawal so that users consume less fentanyl each day, researchers theorize. Declines in deaths may also reflect the grim reality that fentanyl has killed so many regular users that there are fewer people at risk of overdose. The trajectory of deaths 'can't keep going up. It has essentially to kind of burn itself out,' said Caleb Banta-Green, an addiction expert and drug researcher at the University of Washington School of Medicine. During Biden's first three years, the death toll topped 100,000 each year. Deaths during a 12-month period peaked in June 2023 at a staggering 114,670, making the rapid drop nationally all the more remarkable, said Nabarun Dasgupta, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He stressed that deaths had been falling in certain regions where fentanyl had been entrenched for longer. 'Americans have responded to the overdose crisis with powerful community efforts, from every small town to large city. What we are seeing is the fruit of all that collective labor. These local efforts are the heart of overdose prevention,' Dasgupta said. The CDC data released on Wednesday is not definitive; final death statistics lag because toxicology testing often takes months to complete. Deaths involving stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine — which users increasingly take alongside fentanyl — also decreased, the statistics show. Two states, Nevada and South Dakota notched slight increases from the previous year. But nearly all states showed declines in 2024. States such as New Hampshire, West Virginia and Ohio recorded declines of 35 percent or more. In Washington state, where fentanyl became entrenched years later than on the East Coast, suspected drug deaths dropped by nearly 12 percent, after years of increases, for a total of 3,167. In King County, home to Seattle, health officials distributed 124,700 naloxone kits in 2024 and opened three vending machines for people to obtain the medication, fentanyl test strips and other supplies. County officials and the University of Washington Department of Emergency Medicine also debuted a hotline for doctors to prescribe buprenorphine through free telehealth sessions at any time of day. The city's mayor in August announced an investment of nearly $3 million in opioid litigation settlement money to increase capacity for inpatient treatment. But the state health department's top medical officer, Tao Kwan-Gett, urged cautioned. Washington overdose deaths fell through much of 2024 but spiked during the final four months of the year. 'It's too early to say that we're seeing a sustained decrease,' Kwan-Gett said. 'I certainly hope we are, but I think we have to continue being vigilant.' The encouraging statistics in Washington and nationwide belie the heartbreak of addiction — and death. Among the victims nationwide in 2024: a 17-month-old Los Angeles boy who ingested fentanyl during a child welfare-monitored visit with his mother; a 15-year-old girl who fatally overdosed on fentanyl at her Georgia high school, nine people who fatally overdosed in Austin, during one day. In Seattle, former movie set designer Wade Paradise battled an opioid addiction for years after taking prescription pain killers. He was largely estranged from his family, living in squalor and suffering from myriad ailments, according to his daughter, Nathalie Paradise, 24. She said Wade Paradise had struggled to get addiction treatment because of problems with health insurance. In December, he died at age 68 in his home from a pill made of fentanyl. His death received little attention but for Nathalie's GoFundMe page in which she recalled cherished childhood memories of summer swims in a lake and bargain hunting at thrift stores — and detailed his addiction. 'I didn't want it to be a secret anymore. I felt like the people in his life deserved to know the truth,' she said in an interview. 'I also have a lot of friends who use drugs, and I hoped that by sharing my story, it might encourage them to stop.'
