Miami Dolphin guard Richie Incognito has been suspended indefinitely and will likely be dropped by the team due to his bullying of rookie offensive tackle Jonathan Martin.
Incognito left a threatening voicemail for Martin in April 2013, reports ESPN. The transcript read, “Hey, wassup, you half n—– piece of s—. I saw you on Twitter, you been training 10 weeks. [I want to] s— in your f—ing mouth. [I’m going to] slap your f—ing mouth. [I’m going to] slap your real mother across the face [laughter]. F— you, you’re still a rookie. I’ll kill you.”
Incognito also reportedly sent text messages filled with anti-gay slurs and crude terms for female anatomy. The Dolphins announced his suspension in a statement, saying “we believe in maintaining a culture of respect for one another and as a result we believe this decision is in the best interest of the organization at this time. As we noted earlier, we reached out to the NFL to conduct an objective and thorough review. We will continue to work with the league on this matter.”
It will likely be more than just a suspension however. A source told the Miami Herald, “He’s done. There are procedures in place, and everyone wants to be fair. The NFL is involved. But from a club perspective he’ll never play another game here.”
Incognito has a history of behavioral problems. He was suspended indefinitely from the team when he played for Nebraska for repeatedly breaking team rules. He transferred to Oregon in 2004, but got dismissed almost immediately.
He was voted NFL’s “dirtiest player” in poll of NFL players by Sporting News in 2009 and was released from the Rams in 2009 after many personal fouls and an argument with coach Steve Spagnuolo. Former linebacker Bart Scott told ESPN 98.7, “He needs to be gone. No one would miss him anyway. Trust me.”
The bullying incidents first came to light when Martin left team practice on October 28. Martin is currently spending time with family in California.