In his first interview since being suspended by the Miami Dolphins, Richie Incognito said he and Jonathan Martin shared more than 1,000 text messages in the past year — including one that allegedly absolves the accused bully.
Incognito insisted he and Martin are actually pals, and showed “Fox NFL Sunday” text messages he said his sensitive teammate sent him.
“Wassup man? The world’s gone crazy lol,” according to the text message Incognito said he received from his teammate a day after Miami’s OT victory on Halloween — and three days after Martin suddenly bolted from the team. “I’m good tho congrats on the win.”
Martin, 24, allegedly continued: “Yeah I’m good man. It’s insane bro but just know I don’t blame you guys at all. It’s just the culture around football and the locker room got to me a little.”
Before sharing the alleged text messages with Fox’s Jay Glazer, Incognito said the missives reveal a context for their vulgar language.
“I will show you the framework of a friendship,” said Incognito, who was suspended after Martin left the team amid allegations of racist bullying.
If he saw Martin today, Incognito insisted he’d hug the player who has accused him of making vile, racist taunts.
“Honestly I think I’d give him a big hug right now because we’ve been through so much and I’d just be like, `Dude what’s going on? Why didn’t you come to me?’” Incognito said.
“If he were to say, `Listen you took it way too far, you hurt me,’ I would just apologize. I would apologize to his family. I never meant it that way.”
The tough talk went both ways, according to Incognito.
A week before the scandal broke, Incognito said Martin sent him a text message saying he was going to kill his family.
Incognito said he didn’t take the shocking text seriously, because he and Martin were pals who routinely teased each other with such over-the-top words.
“People don’t know how Jon and I communicate to one another. For instance, a week before this went down, Jonathan Martin texts me on my phone `I will murder your whole f—king family,’” Incognito told “Fox NFL Sunday.”
“Now do I think Jonathan Martin as going to murder my family? Not one bit.”
Incognito said he took those words in stride, knowing Martin meant no harm.
“I knew it was coming from a brother, I knew it was coming from a friend, I knew it was coming from a teammate,” Incognito said.
“That just puts into context how we communicate with one another.”
Later Sunday afternoon, Martin’s lawyer David Cornwell tweeted his client’s allegedly threatening text — a gag picture of a woman and a pooch alongside the message.
“JMart’s text 2 Richie Incognito. U decide,” Cornwell tweeted of the obviously comical message.
Incognito spoke to Glazer, who admitted he’s friends with the suspended player and has trained him in mixed martial arts.
Glazer said Incognito refused to answer if Dolphins coaches had ordered a “code red” against Martin, a command to do what it took to make the second-year player from Stanford tougher.
The offensive lineman did admit he spewed racially charged words against Martin — but insisted he’s no bully.
“This isn’t an issue about bullying … this is an issue of my and Jon’s relationship,” Incognito said.
“You can ask anybody in the Miami Dolphins locker room, `Who had Jon Martin’s back the absolute most?’ And they will undoubtedly tell you me.”
Martin left the team on Oct. 28 and has allegedly been the victim of relentless harassment by his fellow offensive lineman Incognito, who has a history of violence.
Incognito didn’t deny using salty language with Martin.
The embattled player was apologetic for uttering “bad words,” but said offensive racial talk is commonplace in NFL locker rooms.
“All this stuff coming out … it speaks to the culture of our locker room, it speaks to the culture of our closeness, it speaks to the culture of our brotherhood,” Incognito said.
“And the racism, the bad words, you know that’s what I regret most. But that is a product of our environment and that’s something we use all the time.”
Former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, a member of Fox’s NFL studio show, backed up Incognito’s contention that locker rooms are filled with vulgar — but ultimately harmless — taunts.
However, Strahan took Dolphins team leaders and management to task, saying someone should have come down on Incognito for using the N-word under any circumstances.
“The use of a derogatory term by Richie Incognito — absolutely unnecessary. If I were in the locker room and heard him do it, would I have checked him immediately? Absolutely,” Strahan said.
“But you learn in that locker room … people only get away with you what you allow them to, and you got to check him from the beginning. And if you don’t, you have a situation like you have in Miami.”
The Dolphins haven’t played since the scandal broke. They were last on the field on Halloween night, for a 22-20 overtime victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Miami plays on Monday night against their winless Florida neighbors, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.