A prominent member of the Miami Dolphins front office, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The Post on Wednesday there are many facts that still must surface before the real story is told on the Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin bullying incident.
The source, saying there is a “lack of context and background and a lot of misinformation out there from people with different agendas,’’ urged letting the NFL investigation unfold before drawing too many definitive conclusions.
The source, while not defending Incognito, said “context is very important’’ when it comes to the vile voicemail Incognito allegedly left for Martin in April. Among other insults and threats, Incognito reportedly called Martin a “half n—– piece of s—.”
“This is how some of these guys talk to each other,’’ the source said. “There is a lot of ball-busting in that locker room, a lot of chops getting busted in that offensive line room. They all give it to each other and nobody is exempt from it. Maybe guys took it too far and that’s what caused this problem.
“There is solidarity among this group. These guys bleed together, sweat together, travel together, sleep together, eat together. They all sat down at lunch, and when [Martin] came to sit down all the rest of them got up and moved. They do that to each other all the time. This time, it came to a boiling point [for Martin].’’
The source said there has been a strong level of support from Dolphins players in favor of Incognito, who was suspended from the team and may possibly never play for it again.
“You go into that locker room and a lot of guys miss ‘68’ [Incognito],’’ the source said. “Players — whether white or African-American — support and miss him, and that speaks volumes to the situation. For the guys that know these players, they know what Jonathan Martin is and isn’t and they know what Richie Incognito is and isn’t. Now [Martin] is gone, and he never told anyone there was a problem or issue.’’
The source also said Incognito and Martin have “been together socially, dining together, eating together,’’ which would seem to refute the notion Incognito was bullying Martin.
The source described Incognito as a “respected’’ player in the locker room.
“Players like him because they think he can help them win,” the source said. “He’s the kind of player that you like him if he’s on your team, but if he’s on the other team you don’t. There is also a misnomer that this guy is a meathead. He is a very smart, intelligent football player.’’
Another element to this story the source said has been overlooked is Martin “going AWOL’’ on the team and having never asked team officials for help.
“Nobody’s asking where [Martin] is right now,’’ the source said. “[We think] he’s in California in treatment. But is he OK? What’s going on with him? What’s his state of mind? No one has defined his specific issue, because he didn’t relate it to anyone before he left.
“There is money involved. There is a contract and does the team have to pay [Martin]? When you leave the team, the team doesn’t have to pay you. That’s where this health issue comes into play. It’s a very complicated matter.’’
The source made it clear Dolphins owner Stephen Ross encouraged the NFL to come to South Florida to conduct an investigation.
“We invited the NFL to come in. It was not the NFL telling us they were coming here,” the source said. “We feel good about the environment here and invited the NFL to come here for an open-door review.
“There is so much misinformation out there right now. … You’re in a tough spot as the club trying to honor the review with the league and let the process take its course. But from a public perception, the court of public opinion, perception and reality are two different things, I can promise you that.
“It is incredible to hear some people talking about this with such absoluteness when these people — national media — have never been near our locker room, never been in our building,” the source said. “There are a lot of agendas going on — the agents have an agenda, players have an agenda, the club has an agenda. There is a lot of misinformation out there. There is a lot of background and context that a lot of people are unaware of. People are just seeing this from the surface and from afar and drawing conclusions.’’