OT: Jonathan Martin leaves Dolphins

[cardpa]

The extortion of money from him should be criminally charged. My other issue is, did Martin bring this up to the coaching staff and if he did, what did they say? This is an issue that could crush the franchise and should. Hazing is one thing but outright harassing is another. Extortion and alleged death threats against Martin's family goes way beyond hazing and is grounds for a criminal investigation. I'd love to see the Miami D.A. get involved here.

This will be more than a huge black eye for the Miami Dolphin football team. Depending on how deep this goes could we possibly see infractions similar to what the commish hit the Saints with. Year long suspensions or longer? Indefinite suspensions? I would put this on par or even bigger than what happen in New Orleans.

By the way did anyone see one of the hits Meriweather put on a receiver Sunday? Saw his one tackle and he went low right at the knees. Wonder how closely the NFL is watching him?

 

[JeffGollin]

This is all well and good to jettison Incognito however I suspect he isn't the only one involved and this goes way deeper on this team with more players involved and coaching staff that simply ignored this situation.

This raises an even broader issue that some enterprising young writer could get rich covering:

How do each of the 32 NFL teams differ with regard to:

- Locker Room Culture

- Treatment of Rookies

- Influence of Veterans vs. Coaching Staff in Policing Locker Rooms

- New Age vs. Old School

- Policy re Injuries

-Reliance on Young Talent vs. Veteran Experience.

- Emphasis on Certain Positions, Types of Players Filling Those Positions, Vertical vs. Horizontal, Zone vs. Power etc.

- Influence and Power Sharing/Structure Among Ownership, GM, HC, Assistants, Veteran players etc.

- Which teams are considered "hard", "soft", "physical", "fast", "smart", "dumb" (& where do the Dolphs and Incognito fit into this equation)?

It would be fascinating to compare how different teams do business (& whose approaches have been most or least successful). If I were an Editor, I'd sic my best writer (for a year if necessary) on this project.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

I don't know if people have followed what Dockett had to say about this today but it just reinforces why he a Captain and a leader.

Missed it. Links? Or a recap?

 

[BigRedRage]

Missed it. Links? Or a recap?

http://www.azcardinals.com/news-and...hemistry/5f82c4fc-ed14-4a15-9698-80202efc1afa

thats just one of the few

 

[crisper57]

I don't know if people have followed what Dockett had to say about this today but it just reinforces why he a Captain and a leader.

This guy is always at the front of the pack during rookie hazing, including shaving heads and making them buy expensive dinners. If he thinks its bad, then it is really, really bad.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

Here's an article on Incognito from earlier in the year...

THE NFL'S DIRTIEST PLAYER COMES CLEAN

Ritchie is just misunderstood. LOL

 

[cardncubfan]

Did I not say Incognito is a smacked ass?

What does this even mean?

 

[NJCardFan]

What does this even mean?

That he's a smacked ass meaning an idiot, a special kind of idiot. Incognito has been this his entire career so it doesn't surprise me that he did something this ridiculous. Sad thing is, someone will pick him up.

 

[8ndkorner]

Don't want to start a rumor. Could be totally false. Shouldn't matter. Hopefully this is not the issue.

That's a lot of PC there. If it shouldn't matter why do those who come out have to make it so public? Frankly I don't care and it's not my business.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Wow. Antron speaks on this issue:

Antrel Rolle On WFAN: Martin ‘Just As Much To Blame’ As Incognito

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/11...-to-blame-as-incognito/#.UnkvzvBURFQ.facebook

Giants safety Antrel Rolle joined WFAN co-hosts Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts in his weekly spot on Tuesday to offer his thoughts on the controversial situation.

“Richie Incognito, is he wrong? Absolutely,” Rolle told Joe & Evan. ”But I think the other guy is just as much to blame because he’s allowed it to happen.”

Further elaborating, Rolle said he would never allow himself to get involved in such a situation.

“First of all, know something like that would never, ever happen to myself, because I wouldn’t allow it to happen,” the two-time Pro Bowler said. “… You know, at this level, you’re a man. You’re not a little boy. You’re not a freshman in college. You’re a man. So I think everything has its limits. So there’s no way that another man is gonna make me pay for something that I choose not to pay for.”

Rolle hopes that Martin is able to get back on the field, but again, he reiterated he believes the second-year player deserves some blame.

“Hopefully he’s able to bounce back and recover from all that has happened and understand it, and take awareness of, you know, that, you’re a grown-a– man,” Rolle said. “You need to stand up for yourself.”

Rolle added that the controversy in Miami is “absolutely not” an indication of a league-wide issue.

-----------------------------
The complete Rolle interview is available at the above link...

 

[cardncubfan]

That he's a smacked ass meaning an idiot, a special kind of idiot. Incognito has been this his entire career so it doesn't surprise me that he did something this ridiculous. Sad thing is, someone will pick him up.

Never heard the saying before. Must be a Jersey thing.

 

[NJCardFan]

This will be more than a huge black eye for the Miami Dolphin football team. Depending on how deep this goes could we possibly see infractions similar to what the commish hit the Saints with. Year long suspensions or longer? Indefinite suspensions? I would put this on par or even bigger than what happen in New Orleans.

The practice of leaving a rookie with the dinner bill is as old as the hills but is usually reserved for rookies who got the big time contracts like a 1st round pick. But what they did here, forcing $15K from him for a trip to Vegas but didn't invite him, is nothing short of extortion.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

http://www.azcardinals.com/news-and...hemistry/5f82c4fc-ed14-4a15-9698-80202efc1afa

thats just one of the few

Thanks.

Years ago I used to watch the Rams rookies who were sent to KFC to pick up 100 boxes of wings. Or sent to the laundromat with bags of the vets' laundry. It was fun to watch the young guys right out of college take part in the old traditions.

This other stuff is WAY out of line. Way, way, way out.

 

[Bert]

The practice of leaving a rookie with the dinner bill is as old as the hills but is usually reserved for rookies who got the big time contracts like a 1st round pick. But what they did here, forcing $15K from him for a trip to Vegas but didn't invite him, is nothing short of extortion.

Exactly you hit it on the head, I think a lot of people are missing the point with a lot of that stuff. Crimes are being committed here, it's not just about giving the rookies a bad time.

Some of the rookies saying that league minimum guys are being stuck taking out veterans to dinner and having to pay tabs up to 10-15 thousand dollars. The report I read said that it has gone well beyond good natured "hazing" and has morphed into a core group of veterans using the rookies as "ATM's" That's not ok, threatening peoples families is not OK. If that makes me a "femdem" for believing that, so be it.


People can get on their high horse and call rookies soft for not liking it but that's not "hazing", like you said, that's extortion and probably a couple other crimes not to mention it's just messed up and wrong morally.

 

[GuernseyCard]

P.S. Martin is not a rookie.

 

[ajcardfan]

P.S. Martin is not a rookie.

Yeah, but in one of his messages, Incognito said "you are still a rookie".

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

I agree with what Rolle said. Why Martin didn't stick up for himself is another question? Obvioulsy, we don't know the whole story but just giving up and hoping it goes away isn't really a solution in that type of environment.

Merril Hoge was telling a story about a LB on the Steelers that constantly rode a rookie TE hard. He said the LB was a known intimidating force but the rookie TE was also a big dude. It kept going on and then one day after practice, the LB was riding the TE again and finally the TE finally grabbed him by the throat and threw the LB to the ground and said, "this ends now". And...... it ended then.

That's the culture in the NFL. It's not a bunch of business people sitting around drinking coffee. It's kind of like the story you hear about when someone goes to prison. They look for the biggest guy and fight him just to show they're not a person to be messed with and try to earn the others respect.

I'm not saying that's necessarily right, but that's the way it is.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Someone mentioned hazing in the military. I can clearly say that now hazing is over in the United States Army. General Odierno and Sergeant Major of the Army Chandler are pushing this issue as a priority.

Soldiers (and more importantly, chains of command) will now suffer consequences for any hazing or "rites of passage". I've been extremely impressed with how insistent this push has been, and I haven't witnessed any instances of hazing since the order came down.

The NFL needs to adopt this approach. End hazing. Completely. It's not needed to build chemistry or espirit de corps. The only rite of passage needed is to be drafted or to sign an NFL contract.

If the Army can push for this surely the NFL can.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Maybe it's time Martin thought about doing something other than football , it's a rough tuff sport . Martin reminds me of the breakdown soldier that Gen. George Patton slapped and called a gd coward .

As others have noted, Patton nearly lost his command over this situation.

Patton went and slapped a man going through severe PTSD. He is no better than Richie Incognito. I mean, is a man going through severe PTSD even combat effective? I wouldn't want someone with severe PTSD watching my six. It's irresponsible and poor leadership to not remove people from your formations that can't serve in combat.

PTSD is a real and debilitating condition. Patton was a punk for treating that man that way.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I agree with what Rolle said. Why Martin didn't stick up for himself is another question? Obvioulsy, we don't know the whole story but just giving up and hoping it goes away isn't really a solution in that type of environment.

Merril Hoge was telling a story about a LB on the Steelers that constantly rode a rookie TE hard. He said the LB was a known intimidating force but the rookie TE was also a big dude. It kept going on and then one day after practice, the LB was riding the TE again and finally the TE finally grabbed him by the throat and threw the LB to the ground and said, "this ends now". And...... it ended then.

That's the culture in the NFL. It's not a bunch of business people sitting around drinking coffee. It's kind of like the story you hear about when someone goes to prison. They look for the biggest guy and fight him just to show they're not a person to be messed with and try to earn the others respect.

I'm not saying that's necessarily right, but that's the way it is.

Ummm no. That's bullcrap.

Hazing is the real problem here, not Martin's reaction.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

I agree with what Rolle said. Why Martin didn't stick up for himself is another question? Obvioulsy, we don't know the whole story but just giving up and hoping it goes away isn't really a solution in that type of environment.

.

I think there is a BIG possibility he was gathering evidence for a lawsuit. Not for himself, but to change things league-wide. His father teaches law and he's got a string of highly-educated family members.

Besides the fact that I'm not sure how someone is supposed to stick up for himself when he's getting racially tinged threats against himself and a family member.

 

[TJ]

I agree with what Rolle said. Why Martin didn't stick up for himself is another question? Obvioulsy, we don't know the whole story but just giving up and hoping it goes away isn't really a solution in that type of environment.

Merril Hoge was telling a story about a LB on the Steelers that constantly rode a rookie TE hard. He said the LB was a known intimidating force but the rookie TE was also a big dude. It kept going on and then one day after practice, the LB was riding the TE again and finally the TE finally grabbed him by the throat and threw the LB to the ground and said, "this ends now". And...... it ended then.

That's the culture in the NFL. It's not a bunch of business people sitting around drinking coffee. It's kind of like the story you hear about when someone goes to prison. They look for the biggest guy and fight him just to show they're not a person to be messed with and try to earn the others respect.

I'm not saying that's necessarily right, but that's the way it is.

Martin did stick up for himself; he just didn't do so in the conventional way that many here think he should have.

The Steelers linebacker you referenced is the first I ever heard of that particular situation, but being that I've been in the locker room, I've seen that far too often. Martin has now shed light on how significant hazing or abusing teammates can be, especially when it comes to using them as human ATMs for the purposes of spending endless amounts of money on South Beach activities (use your imagination).

Since this story is gaining a load of media attention, this is now going to be a talking point for the NFL headquarters, just like concussions have been. Martin did not use his brawn, he used his brain. And because of it, Incognito, one of most hated people in professional sports, is most likely going to be blackballed from the league and coaches and front office people are now going to have to ensure the locker room is not being conducted in such a way that it promotes the use of hazing or abusing other players.

 

[Cheesebeef]

anyone who reads this article and finds Martin even possibly at fault here is probably either a bully themselves...or can't read.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...-dates-back-early-college-224648711--nfl.html

this guy is and apparently has been a nightmare forever.

 

[Azlen]

It looks like Jessup ordered the code red.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...oaches-wanted-incognito-to-toughen-up-martin/

Reports are that the coaching staff wanted Incognito to toughen up Martin.

 

[Stout]

Well, that was rude. I never made any personal attacks towards you, nor did anything I said imply that I'm a fan of children being subjected to cyber-anything or said one single positive word about Richie Incognito. Not ever. Not even close. You might wanna try yoga to deal with these anger issues. Either which way, I hope you find a guy who likes you for more than just the gloriously round mug occupying those glamour shots you float out there on the regular, you two adopt a few kids and you get to finally enjoy some of the fruits of life that have kept me from being able to consistently engage you in these sob session tantrums.

Yeah, I don't think you really know the definition of the word 'rude', bud. Try the phrase 'reap what you sow' on for size. Oh, and I love how you tried to belittle me and call me gay, but made yourself out to be a clear black hat instead. I'm not being silly here--I think you could benefit from therapy.

lol. as opposed to telling anyone upset about this that "they crack you up" and that the hand-wringing is "pathetic" and then blasting everyone as "femdems"?

On the other hand...

I'm not one to say this.... But I'm pretty sure a ban is in order here.

...pointing these out...

Alrightie then. What a clever little way to flush yourself on ASFN there, MD.

...is just plain fun.