Actions against hazing far too ‘Incognito’

34

Author: Joe Siegal

No matter whether it’s described as racial abuse, bullying, hazing or locker room antics, the Miami Dolphins’ ongoing scandal over the treatment of offensive lineman Jonathan Martin by teammate Richie Incognito has gripped sports media.

Though widespread coverage has been rightfully critical of all involved parties from the league office down to the Miami organization, several Dolphins players have been supportive of Incognito. The divide exposed by this controversy has enforced what has been clear for a long time: the behavioral standards of the sports media and the NFL brass do not match what is accepted in NFL locker rooms.

The most recent indicators of this divide have been reactions to the scandal which seem to excuse Incognito and place the burden of blame on Martin’s shoulders.

Even though a league-wide poll showed disapproval of Incognito’s actions, Dolphins players have vocally supported him. Fellow offensive lineman Tyson Clabo was quoted in USA Today saying, “What’s perceived is that Richie is this psychopath racist, and the reality is Richie was a pretty good teammate.” Additionally, quarterback Ryan Tannehill called him a “great teammate.”

In reality, Incognito bullied, abused and taunted Martin to the point that he walked away from the Dolphins organization in protest of his treatment by a fellow offensive lineman who was supposed to have his back both on and off the field. Some of the accusations involved racial slurs left on Martin’s voicemail, threats made toward his family and some other seemingly more benign acts of abuse. This abuse cannot be justified by invoking the idea of locker room camaraderie or describing the team as an impenetrable family.

None of what Incognito is alleged to have done to Martin seems like the behavior of a “great teammate,” or even a “pretty good teammate.”

Others, like the New York Giants’ Antrel Rolle, have spoken out in even more problematic ways. In an interview with New York’s WFAN radio station, Rolle said, “Was Richie Incognito wrong? Absolutely. But I think the other guy [Martin] is just as much to blame as Richie, because he allowed it to happen.” This kind of victim-blaming exposes the lack of understanding about hazing problems in football and sporting culture.

Players usually do not turn against one of their own, but by endorsing Incognito’s side of the story, they are denying support for Martin. Clearly, Martin did not have enough backing in his own organization, as he was forced to take matters into his own hands.

With hazing being such a hot-button issue in the world of sports from the pros on down to amateur and youth levels, it speaks volumes that one such issue, at the highest level of American sports, was overlooked by everyone in the Dolphins organization.

Roger Goodell’s NFL has been one with an obvious and sometimes excessive punitive mentality. Player fines and suspensions are common and often severe, serving little purpose other than making Goodell look like a moral crusader and disciplinarian.

If the NFL really wants to clean up its act, it has to dig deeper into its own structure to expose flaws in locker room culture.

Joe Siegal is a junior American Studies major. He can be reached at siegal@oxy.edu or on Twitter @WklyJSiegal.

This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.

Loading

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here