The Miami Dolphins and offensive lineman Richie Incognito are in the spotlight after the bullying incidents and allegations regarding Jonathan Martin and the team should be, as Incognito took what many players call hazing and earning respect too far and showed no remorse or care for a person's individuality and nature.
The news coming out of Miami is terrible and so are some of the reactions to the story. Sadly, many in the NFL feel that Martin was in the wrong for not being "man" enough or for taking his issues outside the locker room, but all those arguments are misguided and incorrect. Jim Trotter from SI.com wrote a story on Monday about reactions of some NFL personnel about the situation and it's pathetic to hear them say that Martin is a "weak person" and that he was "soft" and that "guys will be guys" and this type of attitude is why Incognito and this terrible behavior is allowed to continue.
What Incognito did was beyond hazing and beyond the occasional ribbing of teammates, as he was outed a racist, calling Martin a "half n-word" and other derogatory comments and that was all reported by ESPN.com. Incognito originally tried to say that he was being slandered, but clearly he is full of it and the sad thing is, once the Dolphins release Incognito, which they will reportedly do once the league issues its findings and procedures are handled, he WILL get another job. Maybe Incognito isn't a racist exactly, but he clearly has issues and even with that, he will find a place in the NFL.
Incognito has had run-ins with teammates, officials, team personnel and off the field issues, but he is a tough player on the field and at the end of the day that is what coaches love. As ESPN.com writer Tim Keown wrote in reaction to the Martin situation: people may hate him, but Incognito is a player they love to have. He may be an ahole, but he's the ahole on "our" team and that attitude has persisted for years and it means he will get another job, especially with personnel calling Martin "weak".
This is another huge problem in the NFL, as Martin was at first being looked at as the "other" and the player with issues after the first bullying and the Dolphins statement at first was that the allegations were just that, allegations. Some of the angles about the story were first about Martin "freaking out" over a prank, but little was said about Martin himself. This is an issue in the NFL, as Incognito was never stopped and no one on the team stepped up for Martin, possibly because he was looked at as "different" as Jim Trotter wrote about, but this is terrible as well.
Why is someone who clearly has the skills to play football looked at that way? This is the culture of American sports and football, where the "other" is looked at as the problem and not the racist pig that is Incognito. Just because Incognito thinks that this is pointless ribbing, or meaningless pranks or just harmless team hazing, doesn't mean it's right and if Jonathan Martin is a good football player, it shouldn't matter that he is more emotional, or sensitive or anything. Players like Incognito do NOT belong in the league and those personnel men should be ashamed of themselves.
