Report: Cassius Marsh Threw a Major Hissy Fit in the Patriots Locker Room

MMQB – [T]he stuff about how much “fun” New England’s program sure is interesting, but also a little much. Consider the sources. Eagles linemen Brandon Brooks and Lane Johnson never played in Foxboro. As for 49ers defensive end Cassius Marsh, I’m told he pitched a fit over playing time at halftime of the Patriots-Raiders game in Mexico City (he was in on two snaps that week), which contributed to his release days later.

I must admit, I had Cassius Marsh all wrong. By midway through last season, I just considered him to be an underachieving, irrelevant slapdick whom the Patriots wasted two draft picks on. When he came out last week putting Belichick on blast saying it’s no fun to play for him and he liked San Francisco way more, I naturally assumed he’s the kind of loser who’s happier playing for a 1-10 team with an easy coach as opposed to having the best record in football under a tough coach who gets the most out of him. But in light of this new information, my position on the Cassius Marsh question has … evolved.

Now I understand it was more than him just not being able to make defensive stops, take coaching or handle any task beyond rushing the quarterback. It was something far worse. During his brief tenure in New England, Marsh was a malcontent. A Me First, self-obsessed team-killer more interested in his personal stats than winning. Granted, not interest in his personal stats enough to produce more than 14 tackles and one sack in his nine games here, but interested nevertheless. No wonder he was gone within hours.

Anyone with even a cursory understanding of The Patriots Way knows that bitching about your playing time is the one unpardonable sin. It’s the Harry Potter Unforgivable Curse of Foxboro. It’s Commandments one through 10. The Star Trek Prime Directive. The one inviolable rule that even superstars don’t break, much less complete non-factors like this guy.

By way of historic examples, remember Randy Moss in 2010 having a meltdown in his postgame presser about the way he was being used when the team was coming off a win and heading into the bye week 3-1? He was shipped off to Minnesota within the hour, Deion Branch was brought back and the offense got better. Or 2009 when Adalius Thomas bitched about how he can’t be expected to get to the stadium on time when there’s a snowstorm. Even though Tom Brady was the first one in the building and Gisele had had a baby the day before. Thomas was put in the Time Out Chair twice that season and the Pats won them both by a combined score of 79-10. Then he was cut an never played again. And while Belichick wasn’t here, in 1999 the Pats started out 6-2 with an impressive blowout win over Arizona on Halloween night heading into the bye. But after the game Ben Coates bellyached about having zero targets. So in the second half of the season, Drew Bledsoe began forcing the ball to Coates, the team went 2-6 the rest of the way and Pete Carroll was fired. Because that’s what happens to teams that have players who count their touches.

And at least the three examples I just mentioned were guys who, when properly motivated, could play. The thought of a nobody like Cassius Marsh tossing high fructose energy drinks around in a champions’ locker room having never had a postseason solo tackle in his career is unconscionable. But on the plus side for him, at least he’s now done something he can be remembered for.