Dolphins Richie Incognito Breaks Silence
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Miami Dolphin Richie Incognito has broken his silence.
Incognito sat down for an exclusive interview with Fox Sports' Jay Glazer which aired Sunday.
Incognito was indefinitely suspended by the Dolphins last Sunday after the team received text messages and voice mails that Incognito left for teammate Jonathan Martin. The contents of the messages have remained sealed, but the text from a voicemail contained Incognito using a racial slur and allegedly making threats.
When Glazer told Incognito he had become the face of bullying, Incognito said his situation was not about that.
"This is not an issue about bullying. This is an issue of my and John's relationship where I may, I have taken stuff to far. I did not intend to hurt him. What I was going for, I haven't seen my buddy. I wanted to shock him. I wanted him to call me back," said Incognito. "When the words are put in the context, I understand why a lot of eyebrows get raised but people don't know how John and I communicate to one another."
Incognito said the messages they sent back and forth were just the way the spoke to each other.
"For instance, the week before this went down Jonathan Martin text me on my phone 'I will murder your whole (expletive) family'. Now did I think Jonathan Martin was going to murder family, not one bit," said Incognito. "I knew it was coming from a brother, I knew it was coming from a friend. It was coming from a teammate. That just puts in context how we communicate with one another."
There have been accusations of hazing, bullying and racism.
"You can ask anyone in the Miami Dolphins locker room who had Jon Martin's back the absolute most and they'll undoubtedly tell you me," said Incognito. "Jon never showed signs that football was getting to him, the locker room was getting to him."
When Glazer brought up voice message laced with expletives and a racial slur left for Martin, Incognito said he was embarrassed by it. Icognito said the language that he used with Martin stemmed from the brotherhood of the locker room.
"I'm not a racist. To judge me by that one word is wrong. In no way shape or form is it ever acceptable for me to use that word, even if it is friend to friend on a voice mail," said Incognito. "It's thrown around a lot. It's a word that I've heard Jon use a lot, not saying it's right when I did it in the voice mail but there are a lot of colorful words thrown around in the locker room that we don't use in everyday life."
When asked if he saw any signs that Martin was having issues, Incognito said no.
"As the leader, as his best friend on the team, that's what has me miffed. How I missed this and I never saw it. I never saw it coming," said Incognito.
Icognito said reports in the media haven't even been close to what has happened.
"It sounds terrible, it sounds when it's on the screen, it sounds like I'm a racist pig, it sounds like I'm a meathead, it sounds a lot of things that's not," said Incognito. "And I want to clear the air by saying I'm a good person."
Incognito said when all this "stuff" started swirling around and bullying and his name got attached to it, he texted Martin to find out what was going on.
"He said it's not coming from me, I haven't said anything to anybody," said Incognito. "I'm like 'okay'."
Incognito told Glazer if Martin was sitting right next to him he'd "give him a big hug because we've been through so much. I'd be like 'Dude, what's going on, why didn't you come to me?' If he were to say 'Listen, you took it way too far, you hurt me', I would just apologize and explain to him exactly what I explained to you. I'd apologize to his family because they took it as malicious. I never meant it that way."
Glazer said Incognito was open with him on the questions except when it came to whether the coaches had asked him to toughen up Martin. Incognito said he couldn't talk about because of legal issues.
The reports, from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Palm Beach Post, said that coaches came to Incognito as a leader and asked him to help Martin become a tougher player. According to the Post, "there was a general understanding among coaches…that Martin, a second-year player from Stanford, was "too soft."
The Post further reported that some Dolphins officials believe "that Incognito is being blamed unfairly, but that the team was forced to suspend him," once the contents of voicemails left by Incognito for Martin were leaked to the media.
Incognito has been publicly supported by several of his teammates of both races, despite the racial slur he used in the voicemail left with Martin. ESPN's Cris Carter said Mike Pouncey told him he has support and sadness for Incognito.
Martin has not addressed the situation directly to the media. A spokesman said he's undergoing counseling for emotional issues. The NFL is expected to meet with him this Thursday in Los Angeles.
Incognito is in the final year of his three-year contract with the Miami Dolphins. The contract had a total worth of $12.9 million. He's set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season and is 30-years-old.
