Nebraska...not feeling Frosty anymore

[Tony G]

I was surpirsed too but when has RW ever done what was expected?

[Hannibal]

Ricky's got a point.

[Tony G]

he's got a viewpoint. I'm not sure that it's accurate. Incognito was asked to roughen him up since Martin did not attend a voluntary team activity by the coaches. RI is on the team's leadership council. Given the backing of the locker room leaders and the staff what should Martin have done? Some teams have far less of a hazing culture. Martin obviously had success playing football well up to and including the college level. His ability to play in the NFL should not rest on how much non-football crap he's going to take from his team leaders.

[entropy]

I think that happens at all levels.. you're either a fighter (which probably equates to success unless you're unusually talented) or you don't make it.

RI went too far with it... it's actually not surprising to me that he would.

[Mike]

Well yeah. It's a like a crack addict going straight for the pile of crack he was charged with keeping an eye on. Perhaps the Dolphin coaches should not have put him in charge of watching the crack. Heads are gonna roll.

[drok]

Well yeah. It's a like a crack addict going straight for the pile of crack he was charged with keeping an eye on. Perhaps the Dolphin coaches should not have put him in charge of watching the crack. Heads are gonna roll.

Are you talking about Toronto Mayor Rob Ford?

[Mike]

You can't blame Ford. He was just in one of his drunken stupors and happened to smoke a little crack. Could happen to anyone!

[WingsFan]

That one just a one time thing in a drunken stupor, in Fords case

Edit Mike beat me to it :-)

[drok]

Did you see the tie he wore at the press conference?

15

Sorry to veer so far off topic, but the absolutely crazy thing is he has no intention of stepping down and it seems like there is nothing legally to be done to get him out.

[entropy]

Former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Lydon Murtha pulls back the curtain on what he saw and what he’s heard of the relationship between Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin, from the locker room dynamic to that now-famous O-line trip to Vegas
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Lydon Murtha (Cliff Welch/Icon SMI)Lydon Murtha, who played for the Dolphins from 2009 to ’12, is adamant that Richie Incognito never bullied Jonathan Martin. (Cliff Welch/Icon SMI)
By Lydon Murtha

I don’t have a dog in this fight.

I want that to be very clear. I played offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins from 2009 until the 2012 preseason, when I was released after tearing ligaments in my foot and injuring my back, both requiring surgery. I have since retired, and I’m happily working in the auto industry and living outside of Miami. I went to college at Nebraska with Richie Incognito, and I consider myself friends with him and Jonathan Martin, but I don’t speak with them regularly and I’m not taking sides. I’m only interested in the truth, which is what I’m going to share, from my own experiences and from conversations with friends still on the team.

Before I correct some of the misconceptions and outright lies being reported in the course of this story, let’s first establish who Martin and Incognito are as human beings and their relationship with one another.

From the beginning, when he was drafted in April 2012, Martin did not seem to want to be one of the group. He came off as standoffish and shy to the rest of the offensive linemen. He couldn’t look anyone in the eye, which was puzzling for a football player at this level on a team full of grown-ass men. We all asked the same question: Why won’t he be open with us? What’s with the wall being put up? I never really figured it out. He did something I’d never seen before by balking at the idea of paying for a rookie dinner, which is a meal for a position group paid for by rookies. (For example, I paid $9,600 for one my rookie year.) I don’t know if Martin ever ended up paying for one, as I was cut before seeing the outcome.
Incognito and Martin (Lynne Sladky/AP)Incognito and Martin (Lynne Sladky/AP)

Martin was expected to play left tackle beside Incognito at guard from the start, so Incognito took him under his wing. They were close friends by all apperances. Martin had a tendency to tank when things would get difficult in practice, and Incognito would lift him up. He’d say, there’s always tomorrow. Richie has been more kind to Martin than any other player.

In other situations, when Martin wasn’t showing effort, Richie would give him a lot of crap. He was a leader on the team, and he would get in your face if you were unprepared or playing poorly. The crap he would give Martin was no more than he gave anyone else, including me. Other players said the same things Incognito said to Martin, so you’d need to suspend the whole team if you suspend Incognito.

Which brings me to my first point: I don’t believe Richie Incognito bullied Jonathan Martin. I never saw Martin singled out, excluded from anything, or treated any differently than the rest of us. We’d have dinners and the occasional night out, and everyone was invited. He was never told he can’t be a part of this. It was the exact opposite. But when he came out, he was very standoffish. That’s why the coaches told the leaders, bring him out of his shell. Figure him out a little bit.

That’s where Incognito ran into a problem. Personally, I know when a guy can’t handle razzing. You can tell that some guys just aren’t built for it. Incognito doesn’t have that filter. He was the jokester on the team, and he joked with everybody from players to coaches. That voicemail he sent came from a place of humor, but where he really screwed up was using the N-word. That, I cannot condone, and it’s probably the biggest reason he’s not with the team right now. Odd thing is, I’ve heard Incognito call Martin the same thing to his face in meetings and all Martin did was laugh. Many more worse things were said about others in the room from all different parties. It’s an Animal House. Now Incognito’s being slandered as a racist and a bigot, and unfortunately that’s never going to be wiped clean because of all the wrong he’s done people in his past. But if you really know who Richie is, he’s a really good, kind man and far from a racist.

In my experience, he’s not the kind of person who would extort someone for $15,000. The notion that Martin was forced to pay for a trip he didn’t attend has been misrepresented.

Playing football is a man’s job, and if there’s any weak link, it gets weeded out. It’s the leaders’ job on the team to take care of it.

Every year, as tradition, the offensive line goes on a big Vegas trip. Everything is paid for in advance, from hotels to a private jet to show tickets. Martin originally verbally committed to the trip, then later backed out after everything was booked. Now, if you can’t go because of an emergency then it’s okay, but to say you’re going and then decide you don’t want to spend the money later? Everything was paid for, and then when it was time to pay up he didn’t want to go anymore. You don’t do that to your brothers. The veterans who paid for it, including Incognito and others, asked for Martin’s share, and he gave it to them. End of story.

The silliest part of this story, to me, is the incident at the cafeteria, in which Martin was supposed to have been hazed when everyone got up from their seats as he sat down. Whoever leaked that story failed to share that getting up from a packed lunch table when one lineman sits down is a running gag that has been around for years. It happened to me more than once, and it happened to Martin because guys on the team say he was overcoming an illness. Just like when a guy is hurt, the joke is, I don’t want to sit with you, you’ve got the bug. Perhaps for Martin it was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but when Incognito reached him after he stormed out, Martin told him the departure had nothing to do with Incognito. Martin said it was something else. Then the media onslaught began.

Incognito was made a scapegoat for the hell coming down on the Dolphins organization, which in turn said it knew nothing about any so-called hazing. That’s the most outlandish lie of this whole thing. The coaches know everything. The coaches know who’s getting picked on and in many cases call for that player to be singled out. Any type of denial on that side is ridiculous. I have friends on more than a dozen teams, and it’s the same everywhere. What people want to call bullying is something that is never going away from football. This is a game of high testosterone, with men hammering their bodies on a daily basis. You are taught to be an aggressive person, and you typically do not make it to the NFL if you are a passive person. There are a few, but it’s very hard. Playing football is a man’s job, and if there’s any weak link, it gets weeded out. It’s the leaders’ job on the team to take care of it.
Ryan Tannehill and Lydon Murtha (Charles Trainor Jr./Getty Images)Quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) said Wednesday that he was surprised by the bullying allegations, a sentiment shared by ex-Dolphin Lydon Murtha, seen here in a 2012 preseason game. (Charles Trainor Jr./Getty Images)

The most unfortunate thing about this situation is the consequence it will have on the careers of both men. Richie’s marked himself now as a racist and a bigot, and unfortunately that could be the end of it. Martin is on the opposite end of the spectrum, but no more likely than Incognito to return to the NFL if he wants. In going to the media with his problem, Martin broke the code, and it shows that he’s not there for his teammates and he’s not standing up for himself. There might be a team that gives him a chance because he’s a good person, but the players will reject him. They’ll think, If I say one thing he’s going to the press. He’ll never earn the respect of teammates and personnel in the NFL because he didn’t take care of business the right way.

What fans should understand is that every day in the NFL there are battles between players worse than what’s being portrayed. This racial slur would be a blip on the radar if everything that happens in the locker room went public. But all over the league, problems are hashed out in house. Either you talk about it or you get physical. But at the end of the day, you handle it indoors.

[entropy]

DAVIE, Fla. -- It's time for Jonathan Martin to leave the Miami Dolphins. Miami's locker room has spoken -- and it sided with Richie Incognito.

How do you explain the wild turn of events within the Dolphins on Wednesday?

Surprising? Unique? Bizzare?

Player after player offered overwhelming support for Incognito, who, on Sunday night, was suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team after Martin's representatives presented evidence of harassment and misconduct to the Dolphins, the NFL and the NFLPA.

It was clear in Miami's locker room that Martin -- not Incognito -- is viewed as the villain in this strange and twisted saga.

Martin walked out on the team before a big game due to a lunchroom prank.

Martin is thin-skinned and cannot handle the rugged and macho NFL culture.

Martin betrayed a veteran leader who was showing tough love.

Martin was a turncoat who caused a media firestorm and full-scale investigation of the team at an important part of its season.


AP Photo/J Pat Carter
QB Ryan Tannehill said Richie Incognito was Jonathan Martin's best friend on the team.
That was the vibe on Wednesday.

"I think if you have a problem with somebody -- a legitimate problem with somebody -- you should say, 'I have a problem with this,' and stand up and be a man," Dolphins offensive tackle Tyson Clabo said. "I don't think what happened is necessary. I don't know why he's doing this. And the only person who knows why is Jonathan Martin."

The Dolphins are an interesting case study. This is no longer just a sports story. This is a story that touches on race, bullying and the complex culture and tight fraternity of NFL locker rooms.

The transcript of Incognito's infamous voicemail to Martin is ugly and offensive to most. However, Miami players, to a man, were able to look the other way and felt Martin should have been able to do the same.

"I never thought it was a death threat," Dolphins receiver Brian Hartline said. "I never thought he was actually going to do the things he said. If you can't take validity from one part of the voice mail, how do you take validity from the whole voice mail? You can't pick and choose what parts count and which parts don't count."

According to Dolphins players, Incognito was Martin's friend, mentor and protector. The players never saw this breakup coming -- especially at the expense of Incognito likely losing his job.

Dolphins players are angry about it, especially the veterans, and it's best Martin doesn't return to a place where he already felt uncomfortable and out of place.

Several players were asked Wednesday if Martin would be welcomed back to the locker room. They declined comment.

"That's not my position to take on that," Hartline said. "I do have a position, but I don't think it's fair to share it."

By not answering, it seems pretty clear what side of the fence Hartline and many Dolphins players were on Wednesday. Whether society agrees or not, Miami's players chose Incognito over Martin.

[entropy]

- The person that handled the rookie hazing this year was none other than Martin.


interesting..

[Mike]

There's always more to the story...

[THE_WIZARD_]

Wow...very "Code-Red" like except this time Col. Jessup's side wins...

[hack]

I absolutely love that he wore his NFL tie to his press conference!!! What a fucking buffoon. The guy's found so many different ways to be corrupt. But the joke's on Toronto, sadly enough, if they reelect him. On the bright side, if the city continues to destroy itself I can go home some years into the future to a city with affordable real estate...