Richie Incognito Trouble Could Deepen As More Teammates Speak Out

Richie Incognito may have more trouble to come.

The embattled offensive lineman, suspended by the Miami Dolphins last month after his role in bullying teammate Jonathan Martin came out, has filed a grievance against the team in hopes of recouping his lost pay.

But that may be an increasingly difficult task. Reports from the Dolphins locker room now say that more players plan to come forward to speak out against Incognito’s locker room demeanor, which included verbal abuse of teammates and demands for money.

Martin left the team in late October, claiming that the locker room atmosphere had grown too dysfunctional and damaging. He released transcript of a voicemail message in which Richie Incognito called him a “half-ni**er” and threatened to kill him.

In the immediate aftermath of Incognito’s suspension, several teammates spoke up on Richie’s behalf and claimed that he and Martin were friends. Wide receiver Brian Hartline said that Martin showed the voicemail to other teammates and laughed about it.

Despite the support, insiders believe there is no way that Richie Incognito can return to the Dolphins. His racial slur — whether he believed he was joking or not — has caused controversy and created a rift in the locker room.

Two other players are now privately backing Martin, saying that Incognito was a hostile force within the team. The players have remain anonymous, as they do not want to deepen the rift that has already formed within the team.

Incognito has spoken out, giving an interview with Fox Sports last week in which he said he and Martin were friends and would often make off-color remarks to each other.

The Miami Dolphins can suspend Richie Incognito for four games for conduct detrimental to the team, at which point they would either reinstate him or cut him.