Martin's Breakdown Not Due to Incognito

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright November 15, 2013
All Rights Reserved.                                      

            When Miami Dolphins’ 73-year-old owner Stephen Ross suspended indefinitely 30-year-old offensive lineman Richie Incognito Nov. 3 for hazing 24-year-old Jonathan Martin, the football world gasped at allegations of “bullying.”  Locker-room hazing has been tolerated in the National Football League as a rite- of-passage, where senior players routinely initiate newly minted millionaire rookies.  Hazing typically involves asking rookies to do menial tasks and pay for exorbitantly-priced meals or entertainment.  Behind closed doors, Martin told NFL officials that Incognito left threatening voicemails in April using racial slurs, threatening to kill Martin and slap Martin’s mother.  What makes this situation so dicey is the fact that Incognito is white and Martin is black.  Ordinarily, offensively-worded exchanges are chocked up to locker-room chatter not politically incorrect or racially offensive language.  Filing a grievance with the NFL, Incognito seeks to return to work.

              Losing $235,294 each game, Incognito claims Martin blew the whole mess out-of-hand, turning ordinary locker-room banter into racist rants or terrorism threats.  “Richie Incognito filed a non-injury grievance against his employer, Miami Dolphins, pursuant to the rights under the Collective Bargaining Agreement,” read a statement from the NFL Players Assn.  “The grievance challenges his suspension for conduct which was alleged to have occurred while he was with the club . . .”  Incognito acknowledged that his humor went too far but was anything but racist or making terrorist threats.  Unlike Incognito, Martin voluntarily removed himself from the active roster Oct. 28, continuing to receive his full salary.  Martin’s leave-of-absence hasn’t been explained other than seeing he’s receiving some “counseling,” suggesting he’s taken a stress-leave since the incident hit the headlines.   Media reports haven’t questioned at all why Martin hasn’t showed up to work.

             With the current NFL CBA, Incognito could lose a maximum of $1,176,470 on his $4 million annual salary, forcing the Dolphins to reinstate him by Dec. 2 or cut him from the team.   Martin met with NFL criminal attorney Ted Wells Nov. 15 for seven hours, giving “great detail” over Incognito’s alleged “bullying.”  At six-feet-five and 312 pound, it’s doubtful Martin felt physically threatened by Ignonito.  “Although I went into great detail with Mr. Ted Wells and his team, I do not intend to discuss this matter publicly at this time,” said Martin,  hinting that he’s protecting his privacy, perhaps over his own personal issues that have prompted his leave-of-absence from the Dolphins.  While the Dolphins assess the situation, it’s clear that Martin’s behavior goes beyond Incognito’s “bullying,” leaving him at a loss to explain his leave-of-absence.   “Beyond that, I look forward to working through the process and resuming my career in the National Football League,” said Martin.

                   Martin’s carefully scripted remarks to the press indicate that there’s something he’s trying to hide.  It makes no sense that Martin would take a leave-of-absence unless he’s too stressed out to play.  Media outlets haven’t questioned Martin’s need for a leave-of-absence for alleged “bullying,” when the six-five, 312-pound lineman from Stanford is physically fit to play.  Dolphin’s owner Stephen Ross promised he’d get to the bottom of what happened on coach Joe Philbin’s watch.  While sports media, Ross and team management focus on locker-room “culture,” Martin needs to be examined by a team psychologist to parcel out how much of the so-called “bullying” incident had anything to do with Martin’s “stress” leave.  Players break down for a variety of reasons, especially their own mental health and substance abuse issues.  Blaming his “stress” leave on Incognito might be convenient excuse but have little to do with Martin’s problems.  “I believe in the guys we have in the locker-room,” said Philbin, dumbfounded by Martin’s allegations.

             Whether Martin was “bullied” by Incognito is anyone’s guess.  What’s obvious now is that Martin’s evasiveness suggests that something else is going on. It’s entirely possible that Martin has his own “stress-related” issues and somehow has fixated on Incognito as an inconvenient excuse.  Before Wells and the NFL gets off on the wrong track, they need to ascertain Martin’s mental status before-and-after the alleged “bullying “  While it’s tempting to blame Incognito for all of Martin’s problems, it’s more likely that something was going on with Martin.  If there were really a problem with the veteran Incognito, he wouldn’t be supported by most his teammates.  “He’s got to do what he’s got to do.  I’m never going to tell somebody how to run their life,” said Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace, refusing to condemn Incognito.  When you look at Incognito, his outrageous voicemails, it’s easy for the media to errantly conclude “bullying” or worst yet racism.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.