Over a decade after it shook the NFL, the Jonathan Martin-Richie Incognito bullying scandal has resurfaced, sparking fresh debate about what really happened.
It all started when ESPN published a deep-dive on Martin’s life post-football, which initially went unnoticed. But by Sunday—on the first weekend after the Super Bowl—the story finally gained traction, and former Miami Dolphins lineman Richie Incognito wasted no time reigniting the controversy.
Incognito sent direct messages to media outlets, pointing to a column that claimed Martin had admitted he “lied about being bullied.” He later took to social media, angrily stating: “He couldn’t cut it in the NFL, so he quit, and his mom blamed me… Too bad it was all a lie!”
Martin, meanwhile, told ESPN: “I never believed for a second I was being bullied… I wasn’t a victim.” He suggested that his mother had driven the narrative more than he had, though he didn’t deny having issues with teammates.
However, the 2014 NFL-commissioned Ted Wells Report found that Incognito and other Dolphins players repeatedly harassed Martin, contributing to his mental health struggles. The report also highlighted a toxic locker-room culture, including racist and offensive remarks directed at a team trainer.
Incognito, who has faced multiple controversies throughout his career, seems to see this moment as vindication. But the reality is far more complex. Martin still refuses to engage with his former teammates, and the resurfacing of this scandal only reinforces the lingering wounds left by the NFL’s locker-room culture.
Whether this was a case of overblown media narratives, a legitimate case of workplace bullying, or something in between, one thing is clear—the NFL still has a long way to go in addressing these deep-rooted issues.
