<p>Glad that you’re an insider, musicprnt, because you played high school football. Without in any way defending Incognito’s actions, it seems to me that what the real insiders–the NFL players–are telling us is the following. From their perspective, when the going got tough, Martin quit and went whining to the authorities. Is he going to quit on them in the fourth quarter if the going gets tough? They know Incognito won’t quit on them.</p>
<p>Does this make them or Incognito good people? Maybe not, but that’s irrelevant.</p>
<p>Two separate questions. A lot of players are saying (at least formally) that Incognito went too far. Virtually all of the players are saying that Martin should have stood up to him rather than filing a formal complaint with the authorities.</p>
<p>By federal (and probably Florida State, too) law Martin was absolutely entitled to handle it the way he did. And in my opinion, this is why Goodell and the NFL brass are going to bring the hammer down on Incognito and anyone else who participated in the hazing or knew about it and did nothing. Nothing like the threat of an EEOC lawsuit to get a mule’s (or in this case, an arse) attention.</p>
<p>“Martin should have stood up to him”? Or stood up to them? Because it seems that Incognito lead the pack in going after Martin, so Martin appears to have had most of team - including the coach - against him. </p>
<p>This wasn’t hazing. Hazing is a group behavior against a group. This was systematic bullying against an individual. </p>
<p>I’ve always thought part of a coach’s job is bringing out the best in his players, including figuring out how to do that with each starter. I’m no NFL player, but I can’t figure out how a coach thought that allowing Incognito to bully a player, and allowing the team to exclude him, would ever contribute to Martin being a strongest teammate. Why on earth would shunning a team member encourage him to want to fight harder for the team.</p>
<p>ESPN is now reporting that league officials have leaked that Martin checked himself into a hospital, briefly, before returning to CA with his parents. This will surely bring out a chorus of internet tough guy comments about his mental weakness. I’m proud to see that a number of Martin’s former teammates at Stanford has stepped up to defend him. Martin and his family have given every appearance of conducting themselves with real dignity and judgement but I have to confess I am now hoping they are working with a legal team that will bring down a hammer, big time, on Incognito, the Miami coaching staff, and whomever leaked this confidential medical information.</p>
<p>I think one of the reasons Martin may not have stood up to Incognito is that he may not have wanted to upset the balance of the team, or appear to not be going along with the program. </p>
<p>Institutional hazing is harder to stand up to than individual bullying. I would consider this an instance of institutional hazing; even though teammates thought Incognito was going overboard, there was still some expectation that some hazing was appropriate…</p>
<p>Mini, if that’s the case I’d sure hate to see what plans Incognito had for Martin if Incognito intended harm Martin. As the saying goes, ‘with friends like those, you don’t need enemies.’</p>
<p>I just read reporter Linda Robertson’s piece on Incognito in the Miami Herald. Wow!</p>
<p>This guy has problems dating back years. The U of Nebraska sent him to a clinic for pyschotherapy. He frequently committed violent fouls upon teammates IN PRACTICE at Nebraska. He overturned the head coach’s office desk when he was dismissed from the team at Nebraska. He has been under medication while playing for the Dolphins. And it seems he got his nasty temperament honestly. His father appears to be a real piece of work, too. It’s suspected that Richie Sr. sent vile emails after the Martin story broke, imploring Miami football fans to pray that team officials become sick with a fatal disease.</p>
<p>The Colts and the Patriots were absolutely correct to pass on this guy. His days in Miami are likely done with, but I expect that ultimately he’ll land on another team eventually. As long as he doesn’t kill anybody (unless he uses an automobile, of course) there’s a place for him in the NFL.</p>
<p>You’d be surprised and I think you misinterpreted my opinion. Martin may well have been resented because he didn’t come from the typical stock that end up in the NFL. And as the graduate of an elite college, he had life options that his peers from Powerhouse U, or Directional State U or Lower Midwestern A&M College do not have. In some folks with character flaws, that promotes envy. Even among nominally “rich” folk like NFL athletes. Don’t believe me? I recommend that you read about basketballer Jalen Rose, in whose book he admitted a very nasty dislike for Duke star Grant Hill, a man he really did not know. Why did he [at one time] despise Grant Hill? Because, in Jalen’s own words, he was resentful and envious that Hill came from an educated, upper class and intact Black family! Gee whiz! What a crime!</p>