DAVIE, Fla. — On the same day the NFL appointed a special investigator for the Dolphins’ hazing incident, Richie Incognito’s teammates rushed to his defense while casting doubt on Jonathan Martin’s claim that he had been bullied.
The latest bombshell in the controversy that has engulfed the Dolphins since last week came from wide receiver Brian Hartline, who said Martin had laughed about the vulgar, racist voicemail from Incognito that led to Incognito’s indefinite suspension by the team Sunday.
Incognito has spoken only briefly since the suspension, but Hartline said the veteran offensive lineman feels betrayed by Martin — whom Incognito thought was a close friend — by leaking the same voicemail Martin was passing around the locker room last spring.
“The people that can hurt you the most in this world are the people that are the closest to you,” Hartline said. “This was the same guy who was laughing about the voicemail once upon a time.”
Hartline’s revelation was just the most explosive in a fast-moving day of events in the case, which has touched off a national debate about bullying and locker-room behavior.
Also Wednesday:
- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced Manhattan-based attorney Ted Wells has been appointed to conduct an “independent” investigation of the case and will file a report. Goodell didn’t provide a timetable for Wells’ investigation but said in a statement the report will be made public.
- Incognito used the N-word in the voicemail, but The Miami Herald reported several of Incognito’s black teammates considered him “an honorary black man” and were not upset by the comment.
- The Dolphins remained suspiciously tight-lipped about a South Florida Sun-Sentinel report Tuesday night coach Joe Philbin and members of his coaching staff had encouraged Incognito last spring to “toughen up” Martin.
- ESPN reported Martin, a second-year offensive tackle, had entered a hospital shortly after leaving the team last week to receive treatment.
- NFL Players Association president DeMaurice Smith contacted the agents for Incognito and Martin to ask for a meeting in hopes of stemming the tide of negative publicity.
Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland received a call from Martin’s agent, Rick Smith, in which the agent described to Ireland the volatile relationship between the two men, according to ProFootballTalk.com. Multiple sources told the website that the GM’s response was to let the two sort it out, and suggested Martin “punch” Incognito.
It was clear, and not just from Hartline’s comments, the Dolphins players were blindsided by the controversy and are firmly on the side of Incognito.
Dolphins offensive tackle Tyson Clabo was the most visibly irate, saying Martin is out of line and “needs to be a man about this.”
“I think that what’s perceived is that Richie is this psychopath, racist maniac,” Clabo said. “The reality is that Richie was a pretty good teammate, and that Richie and Jonathan Martin were friends.”
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who is a member of the team’s leadership council, said he was floored by the entire situation.
“If I had any idea that it was an issue or he was struggling, of course I would have constantly checked on him to see if he was OK,” Tannehill said of Martin. “But you can’t help a situation that you didn’t even know existed. No one on this team knew it existed.
“Everyone’s attacking the locker room and saying there was no leadership because they didn’t stop the situation,” Tannehill continued. “But no one knew there was a situation to stop.”
Hartline said the Dolphins players had been told by the team on Monday not to make any comments about the alleged incident, but they were so upset by the sweeping condemnation of their locker room they were eager to speak out Wednesday.
Hartline said the outside criticism of the locker room and the team’s leadership was so unfair the players felt they were “getting bullied from you guys [in the media], to be honest.
“They’re attacking our coach, they’re attacking the values of the rest of the people in this locker room, and they have the [microphone] last,” Hartline said. “We weren’t fighting back, and we just had to sit back and listen to it for a couple of days. And we’re kind of tired of it.”
Hartline said it was “crazy” to think Incognito is a racist, and at least one of Incognito’s black teammates agreed Wednesday.
“I have never heard him say it around me,” offensive guard John Jerry said. “I would have just laughed it off if he had. He’s a guy I’m with more than my own family, so I know what type of guy he is, and he’s not a racist.”
Philbin wasn’t nearly as outspoken as his players, and understandably so considering the implications to his job security if the Sun-Sentinel report he had ordered Incognito to harass Martin is proven true.
“Coaches help players reach their potential, and we do that in a number of ways. Everything we do here is based on the best interest of the player,” Philbin said after practice. “If the review reveals anything that needs to be corrected, we’ll take all necessary measures to fix it and make sure this never happens again.”