Offensive lineman Richie Incognito is getting a second chance in the NFL after a bullying scandal with the Miami Dolphins nearly derailed his career. Now with the Buffalo Bills, Incognito sat out the 2014 season following a suspension the year before when it was found that he routinely harassed Dolphins teammate Jonathan Martin. Although he's adamant that he's changed for the better, Incognito criticized how NFL commissioner Roger Goodell handled the situation and the authority he has over other investigations, including the Patriots' DeflateGate scandal.
Richie Incognito blasts Roger Goodell, Ted Wells for bullying investigation
The 32-year-old guard says he’s learned from the scandal, but he still doesn’t approve of how the NFL handled his punishment.
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“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.”
Ted Wells, who was in charge of both the bullying and DeflateGate investigations, concluded in 2013 that Incognito helped create a hostile locker room environment for Martin, including name-calling and obscene texts. Martin eventually left the Dolphins, and Incognito was suspended for the final eight weeks of the season.
“Ted Wells came in slanted against me and everything in his report was slanted against me,” Incognito added. “You see that in Brady’s case. There’s a lot of stuff that got left out. There’s a lot of misinformation.”
Goodell and the NFL handed Tom Brady a four-game suspension for his role in DeflateGate after the Wells investigation. Brady appealed the suspension, but with Goodell serving as arbitrator, the decision was upheld. Now, the NFL Players Association and Brady are taking the case to federal court.
Incognito is not the first person to slam Goodell as the "judge, jury and executioner" of league discipline, but he also gave the commissioner high marks for the safety measures he's taken to clean up the game. Now, the 32-year-old lineman is looking forward to moving on from the scandal and re-establish his career. He'll at least get the opportunity to do so: Bills head coach Rex Ryan has already named him the starter at left guard.
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