Team Asks NFL to Investigate
The Miami Dolphins announced that they have suspended Richie Incognito for conduct detrimental to the team. In a released statement the Dolphins said,
“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.”
The Dolphins were contacted Sunday by a representative of Jonathan Martin. “We received notification today from Jonathan’s representation about allegations of player misconduct. We are taking these allegations very seriously and plan to review the matter further. We have also reached out to the NFL and asked them to conduct an objective and thorough review. As an organization, we are committed to a culture of team-first accountability and respect for one another,” the team said.
On Saturday the NFL Players Association issued its own statement dispelling reports that Richie Incognito and other players were under investigation by the union. However, the NFLPA’s statement said the information gathering was ongoing and left open the possibility that they were conducting an investigation into the actions of the team’s management and did not foreclose the possibility of a player investigation.
Martin’s notice to his team followed the release of this statement on Sunday morning by the Dolphins, “The notion of bullying is based on speculation and has not been presented to us as a concern from Jonathan or anyone else internally. The reports that the NFLPA is investigating our players are inaccurate.”
Albert Breer is reporting that Martin spoke with coach Joe Philbin during Miami’s organized team activities in the spring and that the team believed the situation was handled at that time. Adding color to the Martin allegations is The Miami Herald‘s Adam Beasley who says allegations by Martin are just the tip of the iceberg.
I reported last week that there were other issues, with resentments being harbored between other players. It's about this.
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) November 3, 2013
Recently, a younger player was handed the tab for a $30,000 team dinner. The rookie minimum this year is around $400.000.
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) November 3, 2013
ESPN.com reported that Martin was asked by one player to contribute $15,000 for a trip by a group of Dolphins veterans who were traveling to Las Vegas. Martin is believed to have contributed, even though he didn’t go on the trip, because of fear of retribution.
Former NFL player, Brendon Ayanbadejo in his reaction to reports that Jonathan Martin’s leave of absence from the Miami Dolphins is the result of being bullied by other teammates wrote “Over the course of my football career, I have witnessed — and participated in — the making and breaking of countless young men.”
The Dolphins are expected to place Martin on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list this week.
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