Racist Bullying By Richie Incognito That Pushed Jonathan Martin Out Of The NFL Is Likely Still Going On

In light of the arrest of former Miami Dolphin, Jonathan Martin for a threatening post on Instagram involving a firearm and ammunition, the racially-based bullying incident between now Buffalo Bills guard Richie Incognito, and Martin is once again being discussed as Incognito was tagged in Martin’s message. In January, Richie Incognito had another racially involved episode on the field with Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue that spilled over onto Twitter and into the press causing people to wonder if Incognito learned anything from the Martin incident.

Jonathan Martin Tagged His Bully, Richie Incognito In His Frightening Post With A Rifle

On Thursday, Jonathan Martin left a frightening message on Instagram, especially in light of the recent Parkland school shooting, mentioning the Miami Dolphins and his prep school Harvard-Westlake.

“When you’re a bully victim @ a coward, your options are suicide or revenge.”

The butt of the rifle was labeled with the hashtag #MiamiDolphins, and two players from Martin’s Dolphin days, James Pouncey and Richie Incognito were tagged, according to The Daily Beast. Jonathan Martin’s time as a Miami Dolphin ended in 2013 after he was the victim of a well-documented campaign of harassment (which they called hazing) that was often racially-based, and spearheaded by Richie Incognito and James Pouncey. Incognito had said that Miami Dolphins coaches were aware of the bullying and that he was trying to “toughen Martin up.” Both Martin and Incognito left the Dolphins after the blow-up in 2013 that made national news and disgraced the Miami Dolphins, and the NFL hoped that the racial incidents with Incognito were over. But then Incognito was involved in another racially charged event with Jacksonville Jaguars player Yannick Ngakoue.

Yannick Ngakoue Said That Incognito Used Racist Language And Disparaged His African Ethnicity

On January 7, after the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Buffalo Bills, Jaguars (and former Maryland Terrapins) defensive end Yannick Ngakoue tweeted a message to Richie Incognito (#64) about a racial incident that happened on the field.

“Great win today! And 64, you goin have to come harder than some weak racist slurs. I’m proud of my African heritage, as are 70% of the other Black players in this league. #Iaintjonathanmartin!”

Yannick Ngakoue finished off his message telling Incognito that he isn’t Jonathan Martin, meaning that he isn’t going to take to bullying as Martin received years earlier. Ngakoue was not going quietly, and the NFL started investigating the then-alleged racist remarks that Richie Incognito made to Yannick Ngakoue in the fourth quarter of the Jaguars-Bills game, says Sports Illustrated.

Ngakoue said that trash talk is fine, but Richie Incognito crossed a line.

“I’ve been playing this game since I was a little kid. You hear all type of stuff. Stuff’s not going to bother you, but somebody says something about your ethnicity, that’s really kind of taking it a little too far. I’m all with trash talk. It’s part of the game, but you can’t say certain things.”

Richie Incognito had previously told the press that after the Jonathan Martin bullying incident, he attended therapy to own his behavior and found his “zen.” Incognito said that the hardest thing to accept in therapy was that he was the problem.

“Own it, learn from it, make yourself a better person and move on. And that first step of accepting it took months and months and months and months.”

‘We were able to get together as men and talk about it.’ Richie Incognito on meeting at the Pro Bowl with Yannick Ngakoue, who accused him of using a racial slur during the Jags-Bills playoff game https://t.co/rGYLqKm1g8

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 27, 2018

Richie Incognito Claimed Ngakoue Accepted His Apology, But Ngakoue Declined To Comment

The next statement about the Ngakoue incident came from Richie Incognito who claimed that he apologized for insulting Yannick Ngakoue during the Jaguars win over the Bills, according to ESPN. Incognito and Ngakoue met up again in the locker room at the Pro Bowl, and Incognito said that his apology was accepted by Yannick Ngakoue.

“I saw him in the locker room [at the Pro Bowl], went up to him [Ngakoue], said, ‘Good to finally meet you,’ I apologized for my part in this, and I said I hope we can get a drink here and I can get to know you better. He was cool. We shook hands and hugged it out.”

Yannick Ngakoue acknowledged that he had spoken to Incognito at the Pro Bowl, but declined to comment further while the NFL is still investigating the matter. Ngakoue said he would not repeat what Incognito said to him that day during the game.

“He knows what he said. I don’t have to repeat it.”

But Richie Incognito perceived that the whole matter had been put behind them.

“What happened on the field that day is an exchange between two men in the setting of a football game. We’re gonna keep it between us. Out of peace and armistice, we are just going to keep it between us.”