Day 218: Bullying: It's Not Just for Kids Anymore

When I look back at the World Series Champion Red Sox team, I see a team. I see a group of guys that enjoyed not only playing on the field with each other, but also hanging out off the field. From what I hear, there wasn't a bad apple in the bunch. It was a breath of fresh air after some of the whiny bitches that plagued the clubhouses of past years. So naturally, I figured every professional sports team was all Kumbaya and just nice to each other.

I couldn't have been more wrong. Just this morning I heard a story about a Miami Dolphin tackle, Jonathan Martin. He's a 23-year-old, second year, 304 pound offensive tackle, and he's currently on a leave of absence from football. He's not injured... instead, Martin has been the victim of bullying by a few of his teammates. Huh? Bullying your own teammate? Sounds more asshole-ish than team-ish to me.

According to NFL.com, NFL Media's Albert Breer reported that Martin shared texts and voicemails with his parents this past weekend that he received from one particular teammate. They then turned them over on Sunday to the Dolphins and the league. The evidence implicates guard Richie Incognito, as well as center Mike Pouncey. (Pouncey was recently served a grand jury subpoena relating to the Aaron Hernandez case so clearly he's just a trouble magnet.) Incognito left a voicemail for Martin that used a racial slur and threatened violence. Both the NFL and the Dolphins have heard that message and Incognito was promptly suspended indefinitely pending an investigation.

The disturbing voicemail went a little something like this—I think we can all easily fill in those (expletive) blanks:

"Hey, wassup, you half (expletive) piece of (expletive)," according to a transcript obtained by Breer of an Incognito voice mail to Martin. "I saw you on Twitter, you been training 10 weeks. I'll (expletive) in your (expletive) mouth. I'm gonna slap your (expletive) mouth, I'm gonna slap your real mother across the face (laughter). (Expletive) you, you're still a rookie. I'll kill you."

If that isn't bad enough, there are also reports from the Miami Herald that Incognito threatened and pressured Martin into paying $15,000 for a him and a few teammates to party in Las Vegas. Sadly, it's the part of the Dolphins' locker room "culture" to make rookies and young players to pay for things for the veterans. It's one thing to engage in some light hazing... make the rookies dress up like girls on a road trip or something equally as silly, but forcing players that might not be making the big bucks, to pay for this crap sounds just ridiculous. And for the coaching staff to allow this to happen makes them just as much of the problem.

Here's what I have to say to Richie Incognito... I'm sorry that your penis must be so small that tormenting the younger players is the only way you can feel like a man. Maybe if you stopped acting like a 10-year-old, you're penis would too.