Dolphins players accused of bullying teammates

[Yachtzee]

Some NFL personnel believe Martin should have kept this in-house and believe he's a coward.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl...2_a1&eref=sihp

Nothing like blaming the victim. I find this kind of response troubling. Maybe if there were veterans willing to take control of the locker room and give Martin some help in that situation, it wouldn't have gotten that far. On the other hand, if you're expecting rookies to either just deal with it or stand up for themselves on their own without taking it outside the locker room, you're just asking for someone to get pushed to the point where they bring a gun to the locker room and start blowing people away. People should be talking about how Martin did the right thing by leaving and reporting it to the team. A suspended Richie Incognito is better than a dead Richie Incognito, let alone however many teammates get caught in the crossfire. Rather than being labeled "soft," Martin should be applauded for doing the right thing.

[Chip R]

It goes back to my original point that the people who play the game (and far too many people who run teams -- many of whom are ex-players) simply don't understand that the NFL is a multi-billion dollar business and that these locker rooms are places of employment.

That reminds me of that quote from North Dallas Forty, "Every time I call it a game, you call it a business. And every time I call it a business, you call it a game."

[Yachtzee]

I would also note the irony in the SI article of people calling a man a "coward" or "soft," but doing so on condition of anonymity. Way to "man up, " chief.

[bucksfan2]

I wonder if Martin ever stood up or if his teammates ever took notice of the way Incognito was treating him. It appears that Incognito had a beef with Martin that has lasted for 2 seasons now. It is also disturbing that Martin had no one to turn to, not another offensive lineman, not a coach, not a single player. To be honest any time they put a mic in front of a Dolphin player and ask him about the situation they end up looking like fools.

But the more you look at it, what were the Dolphins doing? They have Pouncy who was photographed with a Free Hernandez hat on earlier this off season and has been connected with Hernandez in a interstate gun running organization. Kind of class individual you want in your locker room. They had Martin walk away from the team because of everything Incognito was doing 2 days before a Thursday night game, a game in which everyone played before they decided to look any further.

The thing I see is your paid to win in the NFL. If Pouncey received a subpoena for grand jury testimony against Hernandez about his past I would imagine any business outside of professional sports would suspend him. If Martin walks away from the team sighting emotional distress two days before game day don't you think someone may want to look a little deeper before a game? IMO Philbin is a coward. He could have made a difference in the locker room but he decided that winning was more important. If everything goes according to schedule the Dolphins will have won 2 games during this firestorm and be looking at a wild card spot. Winning is everything in the NFL.

[traderumor]

Some NFL personnel believe Martin should have kept this in-house and believe he's a coward.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl...2_a1&eref=sihp

Yea, keeping it in-house results in cover-ups and brush offs. It also may be a hostile work environment and management may not be receptive. It really isn't fair to say there is a set way to handle conflict in the workplace. Apparently these boys don't like whistleblower rules, yet they afford protection to those who find themselves in hostile work environments that keeps them from doing their job and earning a living. In a set up like the NFL, it isn't like you can just quit and go find another job doing the same thing.

[dougdirt]

Rookies paying big bills for veterans?

That has been happening for years and years.

Sports are weird. For some reason hazing is accepted as a part of the culture. "It brings us closer" is the usual excuse. I never understood it. Purposefully embarrassing me makes me hate you, not makes us better friends.

[traderumor]

Rookies paying big bills for veterans?

That has been happening for years and years.

Sports are weird. For some reason hazing is accepted as a part of the culture. "It brings us closer" is the usual excuse. I never understood it. Purposefully embarrassing me makes me hate you, not makes us better friends.

I'm sure there are examples of similar behavior, but this is like comparing paddle and toga rituals in a frat with alcohol poisoning inducing frat rituals. This Miami stuff is over the top.

[dougdirt]

I'm sure there are examples of similar behavior, but this is like comparing paddle and toga rituals in a frat with alcohol poisoning inducing frat rituals. This Miami stuff is over the top.

Absolutely. I wasn't trying to compare the situations at all. Simply pointing out that one part of it has been going on all over the NFL for a while and that other parts of it go on elsewhere too. And it is always dumb and makes no sense.

What is going on, or was going on in Miami is all of that with about 10 extra doses of psycho added on.

[Todd Gack]

Incognito seems like kind of a psycho.

You guys should Google some of things he did at Nebraska. He has a long history of being crazy.

[SunDeck]

Wow, a very large man who has been taught to hit things and push other people around, to summon his deepest aggression and unleash it upon other people turns out to be a mean person?
Imagine that.

The NFL needs guys to tear each other apart, to hit harder, to hate the guy on the other side of the line. It's surprising to me that more of them aren't as off the hook as Ingognito.

[Yachtzee]

I keep hearing more from NFL players laying some of the blame on Martin. If I'm the NFL, I think it would be wise to put a gag order on players and team officials from talking about it until the league can come out with an official response. Why? Because every time someone puts some of the blame on Martin, it's sending the wrong message, particularly to high school and college players who might be subject to bullying and harrassment. They're basically saying that if you tell administrators you're being bullied by teammates, you're not a man.

[dougdirt]

I keep hearing more from NFL players laying some of the blame on Martin. If I'm the NFL, I think it would be wise to put a gag order on players and team officials from talking about it until the league can come out with an official response. Why? Because every time someone puts some of the blame on Martin, it's sending the wrong message, particularly to high school and college players who might be subject to bullying and harrassment. They're basically saying that if you tell administrators you're being bullied by teammates, you're not a man.

Same thing with playing while injured. These guys are taught, every step of the way, that you just deal with whatever the problem is, or you are less of a man.

Was it Jay Cutler a few years ago that tore something in his knee and players were talking about how weak he was before they ever knew the injury?

Concussions? Current players don't care much about those. Put me in coach. Just listen to them talk.

It is a part of their culture, right or wrong, and it is going to take a generation or more to get that kind of thinking out of the game.

[hebroncougar]

Rookies paying big bills for veterans?

That has been happening for years and years.

Sports are weird. For some reason hazing is accepted as a part of the culture. "It brings us closer" is the usual excuse. I never understood it. Purposefully embarrassing me makes me hate you, not makes us better friends.

I can tell you this, this stuff happens in high school, and a coach, and AD, and potentially a principal are losing jobs over it.

[MWM]

Uh oh, reports are now that Dolphins coaches asked Incignito to "toughen up" Martin. Good lord!

[CTA513]

Uh oh, reports are now that Dolphins coaches asked Incignito to "toughen up" Martin. Good lord!

If true then we know why he went to the NFL for help instead of trying to keep this inside the Dolphins organization.