Hours after the Jacksonville Jaguars earned a 10-3 win over the Buffalo Bills, Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue had a message for Bills offensive lineman Richie Incognito.
Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue and Bills G Richie Incognito clear air over accused racial slur
Yannick Ngakoue referenced the Dolphins’ 2013 bullying scandal in a tweet accusing Richie Incognito of using racial slurs Sunday.
Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
According to Ngakoue, Incognito used racist slurs during the game:
No. 64 on the Bills is Incognito and Ngakoue’s hashtag, #Iaintjonathanmartin, is a reference to a bullying scandal with the Miami Dolphins that resulted in Incognito getting released by the team.
In 2013, Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin left the team and said he was the victim of harassment spearheaded by Incognito, beginning with Martin’s rookie season in 2012. An NFL investigator released a report in 2014 that detailed Incognito’s actions, which included homophobic and racist remarks.
A day after his tweet, Ngakoue stood by him claims when he met with reporters.
“He said what he said,” Ngakoue said, via ESPN. “He knows what he said. I don’t have to repeat it.
”I’ve been playing this game since I was a little kid. You hear all types of stuff. Stuff’s not going to bother you, but somebody says something about your ethnicity, that’s really kind of taking it a little bit too far.”
But an NFL investigation into the allegations levied by Ngakoue concluded two weeks later without any punishments handed down to Incognito. The Bills guard didn’t speak to reporters or post on social media during the investigation, but is expected to talk to the media at the Pro Bowl, according to Vic Carucci of Buffalo News.
Jaguars defensive lineman Calais Campbell came to Ngakoue’s defense a day after the original accusations:
Buffalo offensive lineman, Dion Dawkins, rebutted it on Twitter, though.
Another Bills offensive lineman, Eric Wood, said a day after the loss that he didn’t want to speculate either way, but that he didn’t personally hear any slurs from Incognito either.
At his end-of-the-year presser, Bills GM Brandon Beane addressed Ngakoue’s claims.
“Anytime you have an accusation like that, you take it very seriously,” Beane said, via Buffalo Rumblings. “We have spoken to Richie and understand his side of the story. I know Richie is trying to reach out to the other young man that was involved. From what I understand, it was a little bit of on the field stuff back and forth. I know there’s one accusation. We’re looking into it. I’ve spoken with the league. We’re going to follow protocol. That’s really where it’s at.”
But it appears as though the NFL’s investigation didn’t find proof of Ngakoue’s accusation.
The two met, and cleared the air at the Pro Bowl
Incognito and Ngakoue spoke to each other on Wendesday, and have reportedly cleared things up regarding Ngakoue’s accusation, per ESPN’s Michael DiRocco.
Jaguars DE Malik Jackson saw the two talking, but wouldn’t discuss what was said.
“We [NFL players] have a huge respect for each other, and sometimes the heat of the moment can get to you, and you can say things you might not really mean or do things you might not really mean and be apologetic for it,” Jackson said via ESPN. “I think it shows the true character of a man to come and apologize and/or talk about it to clear the air.”
The NFL is still investigating the situation.
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