Changing Times: The Martin/Incognito Situation

(Written by: Gregory Delaney, Producer for “Solly & Steve on Sports”)

*The views represented are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Solly & Steve on Sports*

The biggest story to come out of the NFL over the past week has been the alleged hazing incident between Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito, teammates on the Miami Dolphins, sending shockwaves throughout the NFL concerning what some may consider a tradition. Having rookies take care of certain things, such as paying for doughnuts or paying for a team dinner within reason, has long been a part of the NFL lore, but with the allegations that are coming out of the Miami Dolphins locker room, perhaps this tradition is being taken advantage of by seasoned veterans.

Let’s take a quick look at what the alleged allegations are in this case.

-Alleged texts sent to Martin from Incognito consisting of vulgar and very crude language detrimental to a person
-A Vegas trip with a bill for $15,000 that Martin didn’t even go on.
-Martin allegedly being told by Coach Philbin to “strike” Incognito to take care of the situation
-Incognito claiming that Martin sent him threatening messages afterwords.

Now look, rookies should go through an initiation process involving small to medium sized tasks that are in no way harmful to any party involved, but if what Incognito allegedly did is true, then perhaps it’s time to re-examine where the lines are drawn. If the cynic in people were to come out, it would say that this type of behavior is more prevalent than we’re led to believe, but while I think this is just a unique case, it whole heartily deals with the macho attitude prevalent in sports. Over the last 15 to 20 years, societies have taken a more PC approach in dealing with people and in language used, and while some people can’t stand the use of such PC language, it’s a change that we must get used to and one that needs to be addressed. Instead of waiting until it blows up at the collegiate level or the NFL level, the issue needs to be addressed in the Pop Warner leagues and at schools so that it is eventually engraved into the minds of kids and adults alike. Change will take some time, and it might end up being a generation or two before we see these changes in full effect, but it needs to start now so that incidents like these don’t become the norm.

Richie Incognito will have his chance to tell his side of the story, which he has every right to do so. But the way things are playing out, and if his past actions are any indication, this whole affair will turn out to be the nail in the coffin for Incognito’s career as we know it. As for Mr. Martin, only time will tell whether he’ll play again, as rumor has it some of his fellow Dolphins teammates aren’t comfortable with him around in the locker room. Personally, I feel as though he took the high ground in this case and made a very mature decision that some grown men apparently aren’t able to do and hopefully, we’ll see him back in the NFL in the near future. Once we hear both sides of the story, we’ll get a better sense of the situation in its entirety, but as most people would say, this has been an eyesore for what has been some great football over the last two weeks.