Dolphins picking up the pieces after player harassment scandal

“We are working with (Incognito’s) people and monitoring his progress and it’s gone well,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. “I would say the one person that has been very responsive and gone through the program is Richie Incognito.”

According to Darlington, waiting for Incognito to be fully reinstated curtailed his free agent market. Now that he is allowed to play again, he could be of more interest to teams in need of offensive line help. Some teams may shy away due to the details released in the NFL report investigating the harassment claims in Miami. Others may be more willing to overlook anything in the past due to the fact Incognito has been cleared by the league. A team might expect Incognito to be on his best behavior knowing the spotlight will be on him. Aside from the off-the-field issues, Incognito has been a solid veteran starter in recent seasons and was named to the 2012 Pro Bowl.

Incognito has reportedly visited three different facilities for the treatment of substance abuse and mental health issues in the last few weeks, according to NFL.com. The offensive lineman reportedly checked himself into a treatment facility recently after taking a baseball bat to the front of his car.

Along with distancing himself from his baggage, Incognito will also have to prove he is deserving of an NFL roster spot as a player. He earned a positive grade from Pro Football Focus for his eight games at left guard last season, but he has also taken significant time away from the game as a result of the bullying scandal. Incognito will be 31 by the start of the 2014 season, which may make teams hesitant about investing in him long-term.

Joe Philbin addressed the media this morning in Indianapolis with a fire in his voice that was seldom heard during his team’s tenure on “Hard Knocks.” He seemed determined to send a message of personal accountability for the dysfunction the Dolphins suffered in 2013.

Ever hear of pendulum theory? It’s a pretty common technique used in sales, among other professions. If a person is too hard on himself, the natural reaction of others will be to try and rescue them. Go too far and you end up looking like Willie Lohman from Death of a Salesman or Gill from The Simpsons, but if you pull back just a little, it’s human nature to try and get you back to positive. When Stephanie on Full House got a bad grade on a test, apologizing for being the stupidest person ever to live in the history of the world might have gotten her a hug from Dad instead of a punishment.

Philbin talked for 10 minutes, speaking mostly about what went on inside the organization’s walls. At times, the answers were predictable, and at others anything but. In his opening statement, Philbin came out strong, taking responsibility.

“I want everybody to know, I’m the one responsible for the workplace environment at the Miami Dolphins.”

Turner had been with the Dolphins for seasons, joining the organization from Texas Tech in 2012. He’d spent the four previous years working in various positions on Mike Sherman’s staff at Texas A&M. Turner also coached at Boston College and the University of Delaware.

Team trainer Kevin O’Neill was also fired by the Dolphins today, apparently interrupting the combine trainers meeting in the process.

Wells’ report also stated that O’Neill was less-than-cooperative during the investigation:

This could just be the first of several import moves by Miami to clean up an alleged ongoing issue of hazing and bullying in the locker room, mostly surrounded around impending free agent guard Richie Incognito. Several more names could find themselves without a job in the coming weeks or months, but the Dolphins opted to act on at least one of them before the league did.

Pouncey, entering his fourth year in the NFL, does not feel good about what has gone down in South Florida, per the Sun-Sentinel.

However, his remorse won’t help him at the bargaining table. Pouncey is going into the fourth year of his rookie deal, which has an option for a fifth. Should new Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey decide to decline the option, Pouncey might be looking for employment after next year.

Martin, 24, reportedly plans to play in the NFL in 2014, although it is uncertain which team he will be playing for. Patra reports Incognito will not be back with the Dolphins next season, which could clear the way for Martin to stay with his old team -- although Ted Wells’s report stated that Incognito did not act alone.

The NFL has an asshole problem.

It’s time we stop searching for reasons to defend the indefensible. You don’t have to be an asshole. You’re well within your rights to act like a decent human being. I understand that NFL players have been told that they’re special for their entire lives, and this culture of making them a celebrity since high school has a way of inflating their ego. But there’s a way to be famous and not be a world-class dick to your coworkers. Trust me, it’s possible.

“Mr. Wells’ NFL report is replete with errors,” attorney Mark Schamel stated, referencing the 144-page document pieced together by Wells and the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. “The facts do not support a conclusion that Jonathan Martin’s mental health, drug use, or on field performance issues were related to the treatment by his teammates.

“It is disappointing that Mr. Wells would have gotten it so wrong, but not surprising. The truth, as reported by the Dolphins players and as shown by the evidence, is that Jonathan Martin was never bullied by Richie Incognito or any member of the Dolphins offensive line. We are analyzing the entire report and will release a thorough analysis as soon as it is ready.”

Details revealed by Wells’ report do not paint a flattering picture of the Dolphins’ locker room. In fact, it’s downright ugly. Some of the most jaw-dropping parts of the report are listed below. Warning: These quotes contain offensive language.

The harassment started in 2012, Martin’s rookie year with the team, and it quickly became a regular part of the locker room environment:

The NFL released a statement on Friday morning acknowledging the report’s release, but did not go into detail as to if or how it plans to punish Icognito, Jerry and Pouncey.

George Atallah, Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs at the NFL Players Association, conveyed the NFLPA’s official statement via Twitter:

Furthermore, it “rejects any suggestion that Martin manufactured claims of abuse after the fact to cover up an impetuous decision to leave the team.”

The official press release from the NFL notes that the investigation team conducted over 100 interviews with Dolphins players, coaches and front office personnel and drew from thousands of documents, including text messages and emails.

... which was up for at least a half hour if it isn’t still.

That congeniality has since been smashed to bits. And if Incognito has been right in saying that Martin has mischaracterized claims of harassment, and that Martin was a willful participant in offensive, jocular text message exchanges, then his final tweet before he opened up questions to his lawyer doesn’t suddenly make him wrong. It hurts any goodwill he may have had coming his way, certainly, but it doesn’t change the events of the past.

After making the initial comment, Ross quickly backpedaled and retracted the claim.

“Well, I can’t say that,” Ross said, via the Miami Herald. “I retract that statement so therefore I can’t say that. I never said that.”

Incognito’s six-game suspension concluded on Sunday, but he and the team agreed to extend his absence for the rest of the season. Incognito will be paid for the remaining two regular season games and the playoffs should Miami qualify.

The 30-year-old was originally suspended for four games without pay following bullying allegations by teammate Jonathan Martin. The NFL launched an investigation which is still ongoing. The Dolphins, Incognito and the NFL Players Association agreed to a deal which extended Incognito’s suspension by two games, but included pay for both, as well as two of the games under the original four-game suspension.

The length of the investigation is not necessarily a surprise. In late November, Wells said he expected the investigation to continue for several more weeks. While the process continues, Martin and Incognito remain in limbo. The Dolphins placed Martin on the non-football injury list, ending his season. Incognito was initially suspended four games without pay, and he and the team later agreed to extend the suspension by two games with pay. The suspension was extended to allow Wells time to finish his investigation. The suspension, however, cannot last more than six weeks and will end following Miami’s game against New England this week.

With the investigation not expected to be finished, the Dolphins will have to decide how to proceed for the final two weeks of the regular season and potentially into the playoffs.

The maligned guard recently reached an agreement with the team to extend his indefinite suspension with the caveat that he would resume receiving pay checks during his absence.

Nevertheless, said Wallace, Icognito’s return would be a major lift for the team.

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Due to language in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Dolphins were allowed to suspend Incognito no more than four games without pay. Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that the deal made with the team included two game checks for Incognito and that the suspension can last no more than six games.

Incognito had previously filed a grievance against the Dolphins for the suspension, but agreed to postpone his hearing until the investigation by Ted Wells is complete.

Incognito has persistently defended himself throughout the bullying saga. He filed a grievance against the Dolphins to have his suspension lifted and back pay restored, saying that he and Martin were friends and that the racist and threatening messages he sent Martin were meant to be taken in jest.

Incognito’s grievance hearing was postponed last week so that the NFL could complete its investigation. Wells met with Incognito last Thursday and Friday, in two meetings that lasted a combined eight and a half hours. Since then, reports have emerged that Incognito and teammates physically abused Martin in the team locker room.

Martin is reportedly expecting that his career in Miami is over, but has stopped short of making any final determination because he’s unsure if the team will cut him.

Latest reports paint the picture of an offensive line unit that fed off each other. Incognito serving as ringleader for teasing and abuse, while Pouncey gave him the positive reinforcement to keep it going. Wells’ investigation has not concluded, but he has received a lot of information that needs to be sifted through. Some members of the Dolphins don’t seem enamored with having to meet with the NFL investigator.

Incognito has also filed a grievance against the Dolphins, which is on hold during the investigation, while the team is still considering whether to fully suspend Incognito or to reinstate him. The Dolphins, who originally denied any knowledge of the situation and attempted to downplay how serious the matter was, suspended Incognito once evidence was made public that at least some of Martin’s claims of abuse and hazing might be true.

Wells released a statement on Saturday thanking the Dolphins management and players for their cooperation in the investigation and saying that it will continue for at least the next several weeks.

“When I was a rookie I had to get up on a chair ... and had to sing a song and people threw jello at me,” the legendary Dolphin remembers.

Of course there’s a finite number of times you can force a 6’3, 235-pound man -- who was also turned out to be one of the most punishing runners pro football has ever seen -- to do something he doesn’t want to do.