A few days ago, the former Miami Dolphin guard Richie Incognito signed with the Buffalo Bills. The NFL’s favorite pariah of 2013 did not play football in 2014 after a “bullying” scandal involving teammate Jonathan Martin. With his one year contract for just over $2 million, the NFL’s most ludicrous hiatus has ended.
His suspension and year off are not just ridiculous but also a symptom of a greater concern in the world of sports. I do not mean to say that his texts, which were ignorant and vicious, were appropriate but that the reactions of “experts” and many around the league were nothing short of laughable. For those who missed the scandal, Incognito and other linemen made racial comments to Martin and a team assistant. Further to these incidents, texts and voice mails sent to Martin by Incognito became the objects of the league’s “bullying scandal”. Why were the reactions to these events laughable? Because these were grown men who play a violent sport for a living.
While Incognito’s behavior is unnecessary and offensive, the amount of backlash from fans and analysts alike was an example of the sports world trying to further “sanitize” itself. This is a trend that may make the game more pleasant to some people but it is just a manifestation of the softening of society overall. “Sticks and stones may break my bones” and so on, no longer applies to the workplace and apparently the NFL is included. The kindergarten mindset of “let’s not hurt anyone’s feelings, no matter what” made it onto the gridiron, and fans who expect some vulgarity and aggression among teammates looked around at all the sniffling, teary eyed folks with confusion and concern.
A small, but vocal minority called out not in support of Incognito personally, but to argue that such actions amount to little more than locker room trash talk that had gone a step too far. Others considered Martin to have been at fault for not being able to handle aggressive criticism from fellow athletes. After all, these are aggressive men playing an aggressive game. Anyone that plays a contact sport at a competitive level knows that you have your teammates’ backs, but consistently sloppy play can lead to choice words and confrontation; sometimes verbal, sometimes physical. Overall, this series of events should not have been on the NFL’s radar screen. But, with the league being the way it is, they tried to “sanitize” part of the product, and rather than looking like a well-oiled machine, once again the NFL, from top down, looked like a bunch of fools, moping, crying and pontificating over 300+ lb behemoths “bullying” each other.
Incognito will bring much needed strength to the Bills’ offensive line. Throughout his career prior to the Martin incident, he has had a reputation for being one of the dirtiest players in the league, possessing a foul mouth and a tendency for everything from punching to eye-gouging. What gets swept under the rug however, is his skill, conditioning and work ethic. Incognito is one of the strongest and most athletic big guys in the NFL. While he has always been considered dirty and abrasive, Incognito has always been praised for his actual play. The fact of the matter is, he’s a great guard, a former Pro Bowl selection, and whether the job is keeping a quarterback on his feet or throwing linebackers out of the way for a running back, Incognito WAS one of the best in the league.
“Was” needed to be capitalized because we’ve all seen what a year out of active participation can do to a professional athlete. He will be 32 when the 2015 season starts and that’s getting up there in years for a lineman. However, His training diligence and athleticism have already been pointed out, and if there is one thing a skilled loud-mouth like Incognito deserves, it’s a “prove-it” year. His one year deal with the Bills is just that. With Rex Ryan at the helm of that team, it could be an interesting year, and its now time for the Bills to find a quarterback for Incognito to protect.
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