MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Nearly 12 years after the “Bullygate” scandal involving former Miami Dolphins players Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito, the controversy has resurfaced.
Incognito, who was accused of bullying Martin, his then-teammate and fellow offensive lineman in 2013, says the fallout from the scandal nearly cost him his NFL career.
The incident began during the Dolphins’ 2013 season when Martin, a 6-foot-5, 315-pound offensive tackle, took a leave of absence, claiming he was bullied and harassed by teammates, including Incognito.
The behavior allegedly went beyond typical rookie hazing and involved threats and racist comments.
Incognito, a veteran offensive lineman, was suspended indefinitely after an NFL report revealed that he and other teammates had regularly harassed Martin. The suspension kept him out for the remainder of the 2013 season, and Incognito did not play at all in 2014.
Martin, now 35, recently reappeared in the headlines after speaking to ESPN last week, where he stated that he never believed he was bullied and has spent the last decade trying to “fix” the narrative “for the last 10 years.”
Martin’s interview triggered a fiery response from Incognito, who used his X account to accuse Martin of lying about the story.
“You tried to ruin my career over a lie!” Incognito posted to Pro Football Talk’s Twitter account on Monday. He also directed criticism at ESPN’s Adam Schefter, PFT’s Mike Florio, and called reporter Joe Schad “bush league” for their coverage of the bullying scandal.
On Tuesday, Incognito continued to call out ESPN and Schefter for having “nothing to say,” about his comments.
Wild how @espn & @AdamSchefter suddenly have nothing to say about a story that, wait for it… was published on @espn
— Richie Incognito (@68INCOGNITO) February 18, 2025
Selective silence is interesting. Care to comment? pic.twitter.com/B7F377b5rd
The former NFL lineman recently shared photos of himself with Martin, claiming they were friends and suggesting the bullying narrative was a fabrication started by Martin’s parents.
More bullying 🤣 pic.twitter.com/e0FJCj9NxO
— Richie Incognito (@68INCOGNITO) February 16, 2025
Incognito went on to play for the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders, but his time in the league was marred by further incidents, including accusations of racial slurs and a suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
Martin told ESPN that he is now pursuing an MBA at the University of Pennsylvania and has distanced himself from his football past.
