The defense of Richie Incognito has commenced.
In an interview with Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, a snippet of which has been released and was aired earlier this morning on NBC’s Today, the suspended offensive lineman addressed for the first time the allegations made by Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin.
“This isn’t an issue about bullying,” Incognito said. “This is an issue of my and John’s relationship. You can ask anyone in the Miami Dolphins locker room who had Jon Martin’s back the absolute most and they will undoubtedly tell you me. All this stuff coming out just, it speaks to, it speaks to the culture of our locker room. It speaks to the culture of our closeness. It speaks to the culture of our brotherhood and the racism, the bad word, you know that’s what I regret most. That is a product of the environment and that is something we use all the time.”
In other words, Incognito says he did nothing wrong, and that if anything he did more to help Martin than anyone else on the team.
Once the full interview plays later today on FOX NFL Sunday, it’ll be interesting to see whether the full scope of Incognito’s comments spark a response from Martin’s lawyer, David Cornwell.
The attorney already has fired a warning shot at teammates who have tried to downplay Martin’s complaints. Now that Incognito officially has tried to downplay Martin’s complaints, don’t be surprised if Cornwell has more to say.
