Late Sunday evening the Miami Dolphins suspended Richie Incognito and released the following statement:
We believe in maintaining a culture of respect for one another and as a result we believe this decision is in the best interest of the organization at this time. As we noted earlier, we reached out to the NFL to conduct an objective and thorough review. We will continue to work with the league on this matter.
It was reported by ESPN that Incognito forced Martin to pay $15,000 for a Las vegas trip Martin did not attend out of fear of retribution. It has also been reported that certain texts and a voicemail that were racially charged led to the suspension of Incognito from the Dolphins organization.
Incognito took to twitter to profess his innocence with the following tweets:
@espn @CBSSports @NBCSports @FOXSports @ProFootballTalk I want my name CLEARED
— Richie incognito (@68INCOGNITO) November 3, 2013
@AdamSchefter This is the second time you have tried to drag my name through the mud with with lies
— Richie incognito (@68INCOGNITO) November 3, 2013
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. Buddha
— Richie incognito (@68INCOGNITO) November 3, 2013
Incognito’s award filled career has been marred by off field incidents dating back to 2002 while playing for Nebraska. The Cornhuskers suspended him indefinitely for what coach Bill Callahan called repeated violations of team rules. In 2004, Incognito was charged with three counts of assault stemming from a fight at a party. He was found guilty of one misdemeanor assault charge after a three-day trial in June and paid a $500 fine. Another charge was dismissed and he was found innocent of the third. In the spring of 2003, former Nebraska coach Frank Solich suspended Incognito for unspecified reasons. Incognito was reinstated and went on to start all 13 games that season. As a freshman in 2002, he was ejected for fighting from the Huskers’ game against Penn State, then sat out the first half against Iowa State game the next week.
When Incognito left Nebraska for Oregon State, it was stipulated by Oregon coach Mike Bellotti that Incognito complete an anger-management course and adhere to a strict code of conduct. Since then Incognito has been awarded the title of ” The Dirtiest Player”. In four years with the Rams from 2006 to 2009, Incognito drew 38 penalties, including seven unnecessary roughness calls, more than any other player during that span. After joining the Miami Dolphins in 2010 vowed to change his ways and keep his demons in check and turned to then Dolphins Running Back Ricky Williams for advise:
“Hey, Rick,” said Incognito, cornering Ricky Williams during a day of work in 2010. “Can I … can you … can you, like … teach me how to meditate? Can you … can you tell me what this is all about?”
For a time the meditation CD that Williams burned for Incognito seemed to have helped and it was obvious in the now infamous helmet incident during a preseason game against the Houston Texans. Texans defensive end Antonio Smith, apparently antagonized by Incognito’s relentless needling, ripped off Incognito’s helmet and swung it at his head. Coach Philbin praised Incognito by projecting the play in the team auditorium during a team meeting stating “This is how you respond to this situation,” rewinding and replaying the moment over and over to show Incognito’s passive reaction. “We have to keep our composure and not retaliate.”
Even though Philbin praised his player for maintaining composure during that heated exchange, the lack of comments coming from him and the coaching staff during this serious matter has to give pause. As the story develops and the voice mails begin to surface it seems more and more likely that Incognito will no longer be part of the Miami Dolphins organization.
It is still uncertain whether or not Johnathan Martin will return to the team as the Dolphins have until 4:00 pm Tuesday to remove him from the no-football related illness list. Incognitos absence from the looker room should smooth the way back in but due to team secrecy and the NFL investigation it is likely no one will know until the very last minute.
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