Photos: The Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin bullying case
Miami Dolphins center Richie Incognito was suspended by the Dolphins last week for conduct detrimental to the team amid accusations he bullied and threatened teammate Jonathan Martin, who has since left the team. The situation has set off a firestorm across the country as fans, team executives, coaches and players have taken sides in the debate over the culture in an NFL locker room. Here's a look at the players in the situation, which is still unfolding and remains unclear overall.
C Richie Incognito, T Jonathan Martin
In this Sept. 30, 2013 file photo, Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito (68), center left, and and tackle Jonathan Martin (71), center right, sit on the bench in the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans. The two were called friends by teammates, but have had a falling out of epic proportions that has led to Martin leaving the team and the Miami Dolphins suspending Incognito.
C Richie Incognito
Suspended Dolphins guard Incognito sent text messages to teammate Jonathan Martin that were racist and threatening, two people familiar with the situation said Monday, Nov. 4, 2013. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Dolphins and NFL haven't disclosed the nature of the misconduct that led to Incognito's suspension.
Coach Joe Philbin
Miami Dolphins coach Joe Philbin walks on the field during NFL football practice Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013, in Davie, Fla. NFL officials are trying to determine who knew what when about the troubled relationship between offensive linemen Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin. A second-year tackle from Stanford, Martin left the team last week and is with his family in California to undergo counseling for emotional issues. Incognito has been suspended indefinitely.
GM Jeff Ireland
Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland, right, has come to the front of the issue as well after the website ProFootballTalk.com reported that multiple anonymous league sources said Ireland told Martin's agent, Rick Smith, that he should "punch" Incognito if Martin had trouble with the way he was being treated.
QB Ryan Tannehill
Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill stated, like some others in the situation, that Incognito and Martin were best friends. "If you asked Jonathan Martin who his best friend is on this team two weeks ago, he'd say Richie Incognito," said quarterback Ryan Tannehill. "It's tough for us to sit here and hear all that when we have each others' backs."
T Tyson Clabo
Miami Dolphins tackle Tyson Clabo (77) also backed Incognito. He told reporters: "What's perceived is that Richie is this psychopath racist, and the reality is Richie was a pretty good teammate. I don't know why (Martin is) doing this. And the only person who knows why is Jonathan Martin."
DT Randy Starks
Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Randy Starks (94), came to Incognito's defense, saying: "We joke with each other. You can't have thin skin around here. We're trying to clear Richie's name. He's getting a bad rap."
WR Brian Hartline
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline has also appeared to come to Incognito's defense. He stated: "If I'm not mistaken this is the same guy (Martin) that was laughing about this voicemail at one point in time." He has refused, however, to give details about all his feelings on the case.
Former T Lydon Murtha
Former Miami Dolphin Lydon Murtha took his opinion to Sports Illustrated and Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback website. He wrote a lengthy piece describing how surprised he was at the allegations of bullying against Incognito and expressed, ultimately, that he believes Martin made a mistake by taking the situation public. You can read his entire opinion at MMQB at http://bit.ly/1b9ddwg (copy and paste into your browser's URL bar).