It was a simple case of the Miami Dolphins not knowing how to deal with an emotionally fragile football player.
We're talking about Richie Incognito in this instance, not Jonathan Martin.
Incognito took another step Monday in showing he may need therapy as much as or more than the Martin, the teammate he bullied for a year until Martin finally had enough and left the team in late October.
After the results of attorney Ted Wells' investigation into the Incognito-Martin bullying scandal went public, Incognito retweeted people's mean tweets toward him, posted a suicide hotline number (apparently in connection with his comment that Martin told Incognito that he was suicidal last spring) took a couple of parting shots at the world and then deleted his Twitter account, USA TODAY Sports' For the Win reported.
The account was dormant for less than 48 hours.
For the Win reported that Martin was back on Sunday, saying he had fired his agent and then on Monday asked for forgiveness for his Twitter rant on Friday.
From @68INCOGNITO: "I apologize for acting like a big baby the last few days. This has all been so much on me and my family. I just want to play football".
And then a minute later: "I want everyone to know I'm in good spirits and looking forward to playing again one day".
This is the same Incognito who tweeted support for Martin all the way until a couple of days before the Wells report came out, in which he slammed Martin.
It's the same Incognito who was accused of molesting a female volunteer at a team golf function, a day after he and several teammates commandeered a golf tournament guest's car and went joy-riding through the parking lot, damaging the guest's luggage.
(Warning: explicit language in the video)
It's the same Incognito who was tabbed as the ringleader in the bullying of Martin, according to the Wells report and who, remarkably, was well-liked by his teammates, as the sun-sentinel.com reported from the Wells document:
"Nearly every player we interviewed had a strong reaction to Incognito. Many of them emphatically stated that he was a great teammate, a force on the field and a hard worker in the weight room and in practice. Many considered him a leader and a friend. At the same time, we repeatedly heard him described as loud, aggressive and boisterous, with little sense of social boundaries - someone who was constantly making boorish jokes and getting in his teammates' faces, more so than other players, and frequently more than was welcome." The report continued, "One player, whom we found credible, said that Incognito was "a good player, but he is kind of a disease; he divides a locker room. . . . (Incognito) is the kind of guy who has to be the alpha male." This player went on to say that Incognito "feels like he has to make fun of the younger players," and "people join in with him so he doesn't make fun of them.
The NFL already has reinstated Incognito, making the league look a little foolish in light of the Wells report, the question before the NFL teams is whether they will ask him to undergo any kind of evaluation before showing interest in signing him.
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