You have to go a ways back into the memory banks to remember this one, but NFL fans almost surely do. In 2013, an explosive report by ESPN alleged that then-Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito took part in bullying teammate Jonathan Martin.
It was treated as quite the serious incident.
Martin, at the time, had abruptly left the team, citing emotional distress stemming from persistent harassment by teammates. The primary aggressor, according to reports, was Incognito.
The fact that Martin was black and Incognito white allowed the divisive sports media to latch onto the story and turn it into some sort of racial narrative. Incognito did himself no favors, though, leaving messages for Martin that allegedly used slurs and threatened violence against his teammate and his family.
Incognito insisted the actions were meant as a hazing-like ritual to toughen up his teammate, something prevalent in NFL locker rooms at the time. Guys being guys. Allegedly.
A league-commissioned investigation detailed a toxic locker room, leading to Incognito’s suspension. Martin never returned to the Dolphins and was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 2014.
Jonathan Martin Walks Back Bullying Allegations Against Richie Incognito
Some of Richie Incgonito’s text messages were leaked to the public, and it was actually suspected that they came from his camp because they tended to suggest that while there were some rough comments, they seemed to be between friends teasing each other.
Incognito, though, was still hammered in the media, his reputation forever tarnished after being branded a white racist bully who tormented the seemingly defenseless Martin.
Here we are, over a decade later, and Martin has decided to speak out. To say it was all nothing.
“I never believed for a second I was being bullied,” Martin recently told ESPN. “It’s a story that I’ve been trying to fix for 10 years.”
He let the man twist in the wind on this for years, but he didn’t believe “for a second” he was ever bullied? Class act. Martin even blamed his mother for the story getting out of control.
“I had a situation with my teammates that I wasn’t super happy about,” Martin said. “But my mother had her own read on the situation.”
“I hadn’t even told my coaches, hadn’t told anyone,” Martin continued. “And suddenly it’s on ESPN, right? 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.”
Huh?
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Incognito Fires Back On Social Media
As you might imagine, Richie Incognito didn’t take the revelation by Martin very well. He hammered his former teammate – and his Mom – on X.
He even asserts the allegations were all a scheme to allow Martin to keep his signing bonus after he quit the team.
“He couldn’t cut it in the NFL so he quit and his mom blamed me. Legacy media pushed this narrative long and far,” Incognito tweeted. “Too bad it was all a lie!”
“They lied to protect his money,” the former Dolphin player continued. “He quit… the team had every right to claw back that money. His mom started the bullying narrative with @espn @AdamSchefter so that @MiamiDolphins wouldn’t go after his signing bonus!”
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. He quit… the team had every right to claw back that money. His mom started the bullying narrative with @espn… https://t.co/ifFFJPG1H7
— Richie Incognito (@68INCOGNITO) February 16, 2025
Incognito also went after several reporters who he believes helped push the false allegations against him. He included some photos of him and Martin acting like good friends.
Incognito was a four-time NFL Pro Bowler, including three selections that came after the scandal broke. Martin was waived by the 49ers, then retired in 2015.
He went on to make a bit of career out of exploiting his image as a bullying victim, becoming a spokesperson for a group called Beyond Differences, which focused on combatting bullying in middle and high schools in the Bay Area.
Martin was later arrested after posting an image of a shotgun and a message saying, “When you’re a bully victim & a coward, your options are suicide, or revenge.”
He tagged Richie Incognito in the post along with other former teammates.
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