NFL: Miami Dolphins Lineman Richie Incognito Harrasses Teammate Jonathan Martin, Faces Suspension
It appears that the Miami Dolphins' Richie Incognito will have to change his surname to "Inactive" soon.
The ninth-year guard out of Nebraska has been indefinitely suspended by Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin for conduct detrimental to the team. On Nov 2, it was reported that Incognito had played a major role in the harrassment of offensive tackle Jonathan Martin that culminated in the latter's departure from team facilities in October.
On Oct 30, Martin was invited to sit with the team for lunch. When he sat down at the lunch table, the rest of his teammates stood up and left Martin at the table alone. It was then that Martin reportedly decided to leave the Dolphins' camp, citing emotional reasons. He was subsequently listed with an unspecified injury and did not play on Oct 31 against the Cincinnati Bengals. As a rookie, Martin was also allegedly forced to pay for an unofficial trip to Las Vegas and to pay for a $30,000 dinner.
Incognito reportedly sent voicemail and text messages to Martin that were of a racist and threatening nature. In one of the messages, Incognito threatened to track down members of Martin's family and cause them harm. His father, Richard, also allegedly made comments on a message board that were derogatory towards Martin.
The last straw for Dolphins management was a voicemail Incognito left in April, in which he called Martin a "half-(n-word)" and made vulgar, scatological threats against him and his mother. Within hours, Incognito was suspended, and the Miami Herald claimed that a source told them Incognito will never play again for the Dolphins.
Prior to the suspension, Incognito was recognised differently. While he has a reputation for dirty play and illegal tackles, he was also given the Good Guy Award by the Pro Football Writers Association of South Florida. He supports Operation Homefront, an organisation for families of members of the armed services.