Miami Dolphins
 

http://static.foxsports.com/content/...872_202_97.JPG

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/jonathan-martin-richie-incognito-honorary-black-not-racist-miami-dolphins-teammates-bullying-110613

Um...yeah...I hate that the word "bullying" is thrown around so much but there is hazing and there is also "this has gone too damn far."

NFL players are making fun of Jonathan Martin. Snitches are snitches but THIS article is ridiculous. I want to smack some of these idiots.

:rolleyes: Are idiots still doing the honorary Black person thing? No, Bill Clinton is not honorary Black. No, Incognito is not honorary Black just because he seems "cool" or "hardcore". Jonathan Martin is a Black man. We don't have to be impoverished, crime ridden, and unprofessional to be Black.

Okay...woooosahhhhhhh...vent.

I JUST came here to post this article. There really are no words. The more I read about this, and the more ignorant "Martin needs to be a man" comments I read, the more angry I get.

Beat you to it. :p

Martin's father spoke with a sports reporter. He was clear that his son is no punk. There are mentally and emotionally strong people who just get tired and broken. That's life.

Here's an interesting perspective from a player who played with both of them. According to him a lot was taken out of context, but it doesn't really look like either person is in the right:

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/11/07/richie...-lydon-murtha/

The hazing that NFL players do to each other rivals anything I've ever heard of in the history of fraternities and sororities.

I think the NFL could learn a lot from our NPC groups' anti-hazing policies.

@clemsongirl
the article was pretty interesting, but I'm confused as to how Lydon knew all of this if he was off before Martin started his first like rookie game?

I guess he must have spent a lot of time with him in the preseason, but you're right that Lydon wasn't there for that long before he retired. Heck, it doesn't even say when in the preseason-Lydon could have only known Martin for a month before he left.

The hazing that the NFL collectively deems acceptable and turns a blind eye to is saddening.

This isht is illegal. Period. It may be traditional, but in that case, it's past time for a big change. There is no duty on the part of an employee to endure any level of abuse. If the owners care about their finances, they'll crack down, because these cases are going to be very winnable with big payouts when somebody decides to sue. Speaking as a former employment lawyer, this is the kind of low-hanging fruit that makes lawyers drool.

Yess! and I also agree, it also is becoming annoying how people are saying how he's not acting manly enough and should have just taking the hazing in!

Here's what I figure. You have a man who probably wanted to play in the NFL since he was a child. Worked his ass off for years and years and is finally there. How bad would this hazing or harrassment or whatever you want to call it have to be to make him say, "That's it, I'm out of here." Pretty damn bad, I would imagine.

No matter how macho, or hardcore or cool or tough or (fill in your own manly adjective here) a person is, there will always be a limit to how much someone is willing to take.

Good Heavens, DrPhil and I agreed on something. Surely a sign of the apocolypse. Or something.

Anyway...

...the other day, Tom Joyner said something to the effect of "the NFL, can't hit above the chest, below the belt, or hurt anyone's feelings...times are changing."

also to add DrPhil, I follow espn on twitter and they were saying how the NBA today was talking about how they do not tolerate any hazing or harassment on any level within the organization.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/99...-led-incognito

A friend of mine posted this article about the situation on Facebook today.

It's disconcerting how many players seem to be supporting Mr. Incognito (is that his real name? Or is he from the Chad Ocho Cinco school of rebranding oneself?). I think bullies tend to cultivate "followers". People to act as a Greek Chorus for the bully; agreeing with everything he/she says, joining in the attacks on others and generally serving as a cheering section for this person.

That's why you'll find that, no matter how egregious a bully's behavior, there are always those folks who rally around him/her. They don't necessarily like the bully, but figure "if he/she is bullying someone else, he/she won't bother me."

That behavior is evident everywhere; the NFL isn't necessarily any different.