Former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin is retracting his bullying allegations against ex-teammate Richie Incognito, which sparked a major controversy in 2013. “I never believed for a second I was being bullied,” Martin stated in an interview with ESPN. “It’s a story that I’ve been trying to fix for 10 years.”
Incognito was suspended by the Dolphins in 2013 following reports that he bullied Martin, leading to Martin leaving the team’s cafeteria in distress. Martin, who was drafted in the second round by the Dolphins in 2012, found himself at the center of the bullying scandal during his second NFL season. The Dolphins later confirmed that Incognito was suspended for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
The NFL intervened, hiring attorney Ted Wells to investigate the situation, which concluded that Incognito, along with teammates Mike Pouncey and John Jerry, had engaged in bullying behavior towards Martin. The investigation revealed that Martin had checked himself into a hospital, and his mother had to be flown in to support him during that time.
Now, Martin is attributing the widespread attention to his parents, stating, “I had a situation with my teammates that I wasn’t super happy about. But my mother had her own read on the situation. I hadn’t even told my coaches, hadn’t told anyone. And suddenly it’s on ESPN, right?” He added, “I didn’t believe any of the stances I was taking, right, where I’m this victim. I wasn’t a victim, right? And again, it’s been a point of consternation.”
Martin suggested that his mother may have thought she was acting in his best interest. Incognito, who missed the latter part of the 2013 season and all of 2014 due to the fallout, reacted to Martin’s comments, saying, “He couldn’t cut it in the NFL so he quit and his mom blamed me. Legacy media pushed this narrative long and far. Too bad it was all a lie! They lied to protect his money.”
Gus Martin, Jonathan’s father, acknowledged that he and his wife intervened to protect their son during the ordeal. He also referenced a voicemail allegedly left by Incognito, which contained threatening language and racial slurs directed at Jonathan.
