Already a sobering warning case for the rest of the NFL, the Dolphins’ bullying scandal took another turn when ringleader Richie Incognito was admitted to a psychiatric facility in Arizona.
Incognito reportedly was admitted at the insistence of the Scottsdale, Ariz., police department after smashing his $275,000 Ferrari with a baseball bat in the wake of a devastating report released by the NFL that blamed him and two teammates for harassing fellow offensive lineman Jonathan Martin.
According to TMZ Sports, Incognito did not resist and is being held at the facility until a bed opens up at a psychiatric hospital.
The report that preceded Incognito going off the deep end — prepared by Manhattan-based independent investigator Ted Wells — appears likely to end Incognito’s long-troubled NFL playing career because of the sordid details and harsh allegations against the veteran guard it contained.
The fate of the other two Dolphins alleged to have harassed Martin, linemen Mike Pouncey and John Jerry, is seemingly less clear. Pouncey appears likely to be kept by Miami because he is a young and productive player, while Jerry — a veteran backup — could suffer the same career fate that seems to be awaiting Incognito.
Regardless of what individual teams might have planned for them, all three players named as harassers still face the possibility of punishment from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
The Dolphins scandal was a hot topic among coaches and teams executives at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week and continues to send shockwaves throughout the league, many of which are still to be felt.
The response from NFL headquarters likely won’t end with suspensions or other punishment for Incognito, Pouncey and Jerry. The league also is expected to come up with a code of conduct policy that would be uniform for every locker room.
The conduct policy appears likely to receive quick adoption by the owners, perhaps as soon as their annual spring meeting in Orlando in late March.
“We all have to get back to respect,” Goodell said during the Super Bowl last month when asked about a possible conduct policy for locker rooms. “Respect for each other, for the game, the organization, the opponents, game officials.”
With Goodell’s sentiment as their cue and the fallout from the Dolphins’ scandal as their warning, several teams said off-the-field character concerns will play a much greater role in their evaluation of prospects leading up to the NFL Draft in May.
Character already was going to be a point of emphasis in the wake of the Aaron Hernandez situation, but the Miami scandal means a player’s reputation for conduct in the locker room also will be taken into account.
Even so, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert would like to remind everyone there are no sure things and NFL scouts can be fooled just like any other corporate executive in the hiring process.
“We just keep our fingers crossed,” Colbert said at the Combine. “Experience has told us that a lot of these younger players aren’t ready for this. It’s a huge leap. I don’t think a lot of them understand that until they are actually on a playing field and see the increase in the quality of play. They will grow physically. But if you fail emotionally, early, it can be overwhelming and sometimes career-ending.”
Most of the coaches and executives surveyed at the Combine, though, insisted the bullying that went on the Dolphins’ locker room was an outlier and not representative at all of the rest of the league.
They will emphasize locker-room character and go along with the anticipated code of conduct from the league, but Broncos VP John Elway spoke for many when he insisted the Dolphins were an exception.
“Having been in a locker room for so long, I never saw those problems,” Elway said. “Every locker room that I’ve ever been in in the NFL and the guys I’ve been around have always respected the right of other players. There is a line you don’t cross. I still believe that’s the way the majority of the NFL is.
“This brings it to light a little bit to where it prevents it from happening again. But I don’t think it’s something that is — especially when you’re talking about Miami — I don’t think it’s rampant throughout the NFL.”
The league can only hope that’s the case.