Jonathan Martin walks back Richie Incognito bullying allegations

[CF DolFan]

Richie Incognito is finally vindicated as Jonathan Martin admit it was all a lie. Unfortunately it cost Incognito a year and a half in the NFL, millions in revenue and untolds amount of emotional abuse. Martin destroyed our locker room and has kept us from bringing in dogs. Our Oline has not been good since this time.


The 2013 scandal shook up the NFL community and led to Incognito being suspended.

But nearly 12 years later, Martin is setting the record straight.

“I never believed for a second I was being bullied,” Martin recently told ESPN. “It’s a story that I’ve been trying to fix for 10 years.”

https://nypost.com/2025/02/16/sports/jonathan-martin-walks-back-richie-incognito-bullying-allegations/

[Sibster]

I never played a down of football in my life, but I know people who have.   If trash talk in the locker room makes you want to reach for a stuffed animal and a pacifier, then you're not NFL material.

[Pappy13]

Doesn't surprise me in the least. Never once believed what the stories were reporting. I have no doubt that Richie Incognito is a flawed human being, but I also completely believed he was being scapegoated.

[Dave Gray]

I still don't think this is the whole story.  I think it's likely that multiple things are true.

I think we had a toxic culture.
I think that Incognito was probably the face of that, but he was scapegoated in an attempt to quick-fix a larger issue.
I think that Martin was mentally unstable.
I think that there were other financial factors at play (agents creating a narrative to protect their client's interest)
And I think that somewhere in there, larger politics came into play.

It was my low point as a fan of this team and I look back on that era as shameful.

[Pappy13]

I still don't think this is the whole story.  I think it's likely that multiple things are true.

I think we had a toxic culture.
I think that Incognito was probably the face of that, but he was scapegoated in an attempt to quick-fix a larger issue.
I think that Martin was mentally unstable.
I think that there were other financial factors at play (agents creating a narrative to protect their client's interest)
And I think that somewhere in there, larger politics came into play.

It was my low point as a fan of this team and I look back on that era as shameful.

Agreed on all accounts. It was a lowpoint in Dolphins history to be sure and both Martin and Incognito were failed by the coaching staff.

Still Martin saying that he never felt bullied and never spoke to the coaching staff about his trouble before leaving the team are pretty relevant to the story.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I never took into account anyone's opinion if bullying occurred, but based on the described conduct it sounded like bullying.  The attached article both gave Martin's opinion that it wasn't bullying and yet another specific concrete example of behavior that was bullying.

Regardless if Martin considers that voice mail bullying or not, I consider it bullying.

[masterfins]

I still don't think this is the whole story.  I think it's likely that multiple things are true.

I think we had a toxic culture.
I think that Incognito was probably the face of that, but he was scapegoated in an attempt to quick-fix a larger issue.
I think that Martin was mentally unstable.
I think that there were other financial factors at play (agents creating a narrative to protect their client's interest)
And I think that somewhere in there, larger politics came into play.

It was my low point as a fan of this team and I look back on that era as shameful.

+1

Also I think the Dolphins had a coach that was dealing with his own personal struggles AND that tried actual tried to build a team with anti-comradery. Martin and Incognito had opposing mental issues.

[Pappy13]

I never took into account anyone's opinion if bullying occurred, but based on the described conduct it sounded like bullying.  The attached article both gave Martin's opinion that it wasn't bullying and yet another specific concrete example of behavior that was bullying.

Regardless if Martin considers that voice mail bullying or not, I consider it bullying.

I think yours and mine opinion are a lot less relevant than Martin's opinion. As we all know context is important and who better to understand the context than Martin?

[CF DolFan]

I never took into account anyone's opinion if bullying occurred, but based on the described conduct it sounded like bullying.  The attached article both gave Martin's opinion that it wasn't bullying and yet another specific concrete example of behavior that was bullying.

Regardless if Martin considers that voice mail bullying or not, I consider it bullying.

And that's just one of the thousands of reasons you never made the NFL. hahaha

The whole things was BS and I said so at the time. People get "bullied" everyday by their good friends according to liberal logic. In the alpha world guys are always busting on the younger guys to toughen them up. If not, it weeds out the weak ones. I've been in road and bridge construction since high school and very little has changed over the last 37 years. I don't think it ever will.  If you're green you are going to have to earn respect before being given any.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I think yours and mine opinion are a lot less relevant than Martin's opinion. As we all know context is important and who better to understand the context than Martin?

In matters of abuse, DV, bullying etc. The subjective  opinion of the victim is not particularly important, the conduct is what matters.

Case in point:Student in my school didn't think he was a victim of child abuse just thought his dad was very strict.  Teachers, admin, police, DA and judge all concluded that beating up a 12 year old for getting a bad report card  was child abuse even though the victim didn't think so

[Phishfan]

Don't take anything Martin has to say at face value. He has been called a pussy for 10 years by certain people and he is trying to get out from under that now. He absolutely felt some kind of way back then or else he doesn't leave the team. Take what he says with a grain of salt.

[Downunder Dolphan]

I still don't think this is the whole story.  I think it's likely that multiple things are true.

I think we had a toxic culture.
I think that Incognito was probably the face of that, but he was scapegoated in an attempt to quick-fix a larger issue.
I think that Martin was mentally unstable.
I think that there were other financial factors at play (agents creating a narrative to protect their client's interest)
And I think that somewhere in there, larger politics came into play.

It was my low point as a fan of this team and I look back on that era as shameful.

+1

The toxic culture in the locker room was allowed to fester under a coaching, admin and ownership regime that were oblivious to what was going on and/or too weak to properly address it.

It's almost impossible to feel sympathy for any of the parties in this poisonous, unholy mess.