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Brandon Marshall, right, spoke at the NFL owners meeting. (AP)

Former Bears WR Brandon Marshall addresses owners meeting

PHOENIX — Brandon Marshall has a new fan.

After the former Bears receiver addressed owners at the NFL’s annual meeting Monday, 49ers CEO Jed York complimented him through a tweet.

“Easily the best speech I’ve heard at an NFL meeting,” he wrote.

Marshall, who signed with the Giants after being cut by the Jets in March, told reporters outside the Arizona Biltmore that he was invited to speak on behalf of players.

“They thought it was important for a player to come up and from a players’ perspective talk about the relationship between owners and players,” he said. “I think It’s evident that our relationship could be so much better. It’s important for us to continue to do things like we did last year, giving players more voice.”

He pointed to the league’s “My Cause, My Cleats” initiative last year, when players were allowed to wear customized shoes to support a charity.

Marshall, who has befriended commissioner Roger Goodell, was part of the program’s creation.

“It gave the world and our fans and the NFL the opportunity to see that we are people, we’re not just gladiators,” he said. “It humanized us.”

The Bears traded Marshall to the Jets two years ago, shortly after coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace took control of the team.

He had 1,502 receiving yards his first year with the Jets but recorded only 788 last season before being cut. The 33-year-old signed a two-year deal with the Giants, where he will play alongside star Odell Beckham.

Follow me on Twitter@patrickfinley.

Email: pfinley@suntimes.com

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