Miami Dolphins offensive linemen Richie Incognito (left) and Jonathan Martin (right).
The National Football League has gotten a lot of negative press this season, from Riley Cooper’s use of a racial slur to the Aaron Hernandez murder trial. Considering that the NFL is the most popular sport in America, it is reasonable to think that when trouble arises in The League everyone will be talking about it.
Such is the case with the recent revelation that Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito has been harassing teammate Jonathan Martin, who left the team in recent weeks due to an emotional breakdown.
Sacramento Kings big man Jason Thompson doesn’t mince words on the matter.
That Dolphins Incident Was More Than Bullying n Hazing, It was Racial……Smh
— Jason Thompson (@jtthekid) November 4, 2013
He is on point.
While bullying or hazing (in any form) should not be acceptable behaviors, the situation in Miami has indeed proven to go beyond the usual hazing often affiliated with NFL locker rooms.
As it unfolds, this story is proving to be something that transcends pro football. It calls into question what is perceived as acceptable locker room behavior — in any sport, and it brings the realities of racial sensitivity back to the forefront of national discussion.
Right tackle Jonathan Martin recently provided the Miami Dolphins and the NFL with text and voicemail messages as evidence in an investigation that implicates guard Richie Incognito for abusive conduct.
In one of the messages turned over for the investigation, Incognito can be heard using derisive and racial epithets.
Hey, wassup, you half (expletive) piece of (expletive). I saw you on Twitter, you been training 10 weeks. I’ll (expletive) in your (expletive) mouth. I’m gonna slap your (expletive) mouth. I’m gonna slap your real mother across the face (laughter). (Expletive) you, you’re still a rookie. I’ll kill you.
The team has since suspended Incognito indefinitely while the NFL continues its ongoing investigation.
Both Phoenix Suns swingman Jared Dudley and former Charlotte Hornets point guard Muggsy Bogues were polling their Twitter fans for responses to the Dolphins situation.
I want to know everybody’s feeling on this Richie Incognito’s and Jonathan Martin situation.. What would u do if your the Dolphins?
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) November 4, 2013
What do you guys think about bullying in the pros? http://t.co/st3PyrtGKt
— Tyrone Muggsy Bogues (@MuggsyBogues) November 4, 2013
Many of Dudley’s fans suggested cutting Incognito. One, however, took it a step further. Dudley’s response can be seen in parenthesis.
RT @msmith71083: cut incognito and try to repair the damage that was done with Martin. Also fire gm and coach (why fire Gm and coach?)
— Jared Dudley (@JaredDudley619) November 4, 2013
@JaredDudley619 gm and coach bc they have to have some info about what was going on in the locker room and did nothing about it
— M.smith (@msmith71083) November 4, 2013
Her response to his question truly calls into question the highest levels of leadership in the Dolphins organization. How can such harassment continue for such a long period of time without the coach or general manager being aware of it?
The answer is likely much more complicated, as it probably has more to do with the actual environment in the locker room and the dynamic amongst the players as a whole.
A few of Miami’s other players have come forward in support of Incognito, including star wide receiver Mike Wallace.
I know both of those guys personally. I like both of them. I love Richie. I think he’s a great guy. I don’t think he was out of hand. I have a lot of respect for Richie. I wish he was [Sic] here.
Dolphins cornerback Will Davis also alluded to Incognito’s sense of humor, “He’s a funny guy. Everybody loves him.”
It is entirely possible that because Incognito was a respected member of the team — having been a starting lineman with the Dolphins since 2010, having been elevated into a position of power as part of the team’s six-player leadership council, even making the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl — that Martin may have kept the harassment to himself, thinking of it (perhaps, initially) as a rite of passage. Beyond that, he may have been silent out of fear — both of potential retaliation from Incognito and, perhaps, of peer acceptance.
A detail that is lost in all of this, that will have to be clarified as the investigation progresses, is that other linemen may have been involved. That brings to mind another question that Dudley, himself, throws out to his followers.