Does Brandon Marshall become an exception to Ravens' domestic-violence stance?

The Baltimore Ravens really need to add a productive veteran wide receiver in free agency, and Brandon Marshall becomes one of the top available ones after news of his impending release broke Thursday night.

Whether the Ravens pursue him depends on how the team addresses this pressing question: Does Marshall become an exception to the Ravens’ stance on domestic violence?

Marshall has had nine reported incidents of domestic violence against women and was arrested three times for domestic-violence issues. The Ravens have avoided players with that type of history since the Ray Rice scandal in 2014.

“It will be tough for us to bring a player to Baltimore that has domestic abuse in their background,” general manager Ozzie Newsome said in February 2015.

But the Ravens could determine that Marshall has turned around his life. Baltimore could weigh the fact that Marshall was never convicted and focus on what he has done since those incidents.

In 2011, Marshall was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and has become a spokesman for mental health to raise awareness. In 2014, he held a clothing drive in Denver to collect coats and winter clothing for survivors of domestic violence.

Marshall also opened up about how he grew up in an environment of domestic violence. His mother was physically and mentally abused, he said.

“I think the first half of my career really painted a picture of me being a product of my environment,” Marshall said in 2014. “I’m just thankful that now I’m in a position where I can take my story and tell these guys, ‘Listen, man, you don’t have to be a product of your environment. That is the wrong path.'”

The Ravens have not signed a free agent or drafted a college player with domestic violence in his past since the team abruptly cut Rice after a video of him hitting his future wife was released publicly. Team officials previously acknowledged the Ravens and the NFL didn’t treat domestic violence with the degree of seriousness that the issue deserved.

At the end of last season, Newsome said the Ravens are “not afraid” of adding a player who has other character concerns.

“When we do take someone, it’s upon all of us to make sure that that guy is doing everything he needs to do to change his life,” Newsome said.

While Newsome wasn’t talking about domestic violence, this could relate to Marshall in terms of how he has changed his life. The last domestic-violence incident involving Marshall occurred in March 2012, when he was accused of hitting a woman in the face at a New York club. No charges were filed because of lack of evidence.

On the field, Marshall would help fill the void left by Steve Smith in the Ravens’ passing game. Marshall, who will turn 33 later this month, is a six-time Pro Bowl receiver who has averaged 92 catches and 1,175 yards receiving over the past 10 seasons. He is a big-bodied receiver who relies on power and route-running to get open, which would play off the speed of Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman.

Marshall told The New York Daily News in late December that the biggest factor in choosing his next team was making the playoffs.