The offensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins who was fired after an investigative report by Ted Wells found that he was actively involved in the bullying and harassment of Jonathan Martin has filed a defamation suit against Wells, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Dolphins OL coach fired after bullying scandal suing Ted Wells for defamation
Jim Turner claims that the first Ted Wells report has negatively affected his ability to get another NFL job.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Wells, who has been the headlines for his report on the DeflateGate scandal, alleged in his first report for the NFL that then-Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito bullied Martin and that Jim Turner, the team's offensive line coach, perpetuated the harassment. According to Wells, Turner lied to investigators, attempted to convince Martin to exonerate Incognito and participated in the taunting of players.
Several months after Turner was fired by the Dolphins, he told ESPN that he was “angry” that he was out of a job due to the report. Turner even hired New York attorney Peter Ginsberg to do his own investigation of the situation and the report defended the coach.
“Coach Turner is a good man and a great coach with an excellent reputation among his players,” the report states. “It would be wrong for that reputation to be unfairly tarnished by the events leading up to and following Martin’s departure from the Dolphins. During those difficult times, Coach Turner was, as he has been throughout his career, a caring and supportive colleague to the people with whom he worked.”
Incognito recently blasted Wells and the NFL for the investigation of Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, claiming Wells did not stay impartial.
"I just think it's bogus, the whole system in how it's set up with Roger and the complete, absolute power he has," Incognito said, via Newsday's Bob Glauber. "He has so much power and he hires independent investigators who come in and are obviously not independent. They come in with an agenda and they come in looking to find facts to back up their argument."
Turner previously coached at the University of Delaware and Boston College before joining the Dolphins in 2012. He hasn’t had a coaching job since he was fired in February 2014.
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