Jonathan Martin Admits He Lied About Being Bullied By Richie Incognito Because "It Was Easier Than Telling The Truth"
Miami Herald - Jonathan Martin lied because it was easier than telling the truth. Usually, that’s why most humans lie. We’re selfish creatures, and it’s human nature. So much so that toddlers tell fibs naturally. It’s innate in us, not even learned behavior.
The biggest issue, problem, gripe, frustration I have about Martin’s recent admission to ESPN that he lied about being bullied by his Miami Dolphins teammate in a saga that’s infamously known as Bullygate, and led to a 144-page report done by an independent investigator, is that lives were ruined in the process. Seasons were spoiled, and careers were tarnished all because Martin couldn’t be honest with himself, his family members, and the world, until now.
“I never believed for a second I was being bullied,” Martin told ESPN in a well-crafted story aimed at rebranding the former Dolphins second-round pick-turned-NFL bust as something other than a victim. Props to Martin for rehabbing his life (he’s supposedly a bitcoin expert now), seeking help (he has been hospitalized for depression a few times) and finally telling the truth.
Let’s get right to the point: Jonathan Martin is an absolute asshole for letting Richie Incognito get dragged through the mud for ten long years over a lie.
And so is everybody who was quick to rush to cancel Incognito.
Richie agrees.
The NFL world was rocked in 2013 by the so-called “Bullygate” scandal: Jonathan Martin, then a Miami Dolphins offensive lineman, accused his teammate (and supposed friend) Richie Incognito of bullying him. This single accusation led to a 144-page independent investigation by attorney Ted Wells- (remember this piece of shit? Same "independent investigator" the NFL relied upon to run Tom Brady and the Patriots through the ringer during deflategate.) This clown is the guy who spit in the face of renowned scientists and modern day physics, all to corroborate the narrative the NFL was trying to push.
Anthony Barboza. Getty Images.Just like with Deflategate, this fucking hack already knew what conclusion the NFL wanted him to arrive at with his "investigation," so rather than legitimately analyze and research the situation, Wells was more interested in framing his team's "findings" to fit.
The fallout resulted in suspensions and lost wages (Incognito lost out on nearly $10 million and a year and a half of his career), as well as reputational damage for multiple players and coaches.
The years following, an ongoing media frenzy remained painting Incognito as a monstrous, irredeemable bully.
Flash-forward to now, and Jonathan Martin casually tells ESPN: “I never believed for a second I was being bullied.”
Wait, what?
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That’s it?
A simple admission that undercuts a ten-year narrative that destroyed a man’s name, forced him out of football for a season and a half, cost him millions of dollars, and labeled him the face of bullying? Where’s the apology? Where’s the sense of remorse?
It’s never too late to tell the truth. Oftentimes people are incarcerated, or fired because of lies.
But the damage is done. “It took him 10 years to tell the truth!” Richie Incognito wrote to me in a private exchange.
The rest of our conversation will remain private because Incognito, who was painted as Martin’s abuser by the Ted Wells report, wants no part of this story. He will never do an interview about Bullygate.
He won’t participate in any of the documentaries (there are two) production teams were working on to examine, or exploit the story, incident, lie that changed sports forever. From his standpoint, Incognito lost a year and a half of his life, and income (nearly $10 million) because of Martin and Bullygate.
The last thing this 13-year veteran ever wants to do is revisit the most traumatic part of his life, especially since the saga made him the face of bullying.
But finally, his accuser told the truth, admitting “it’s a story that I’ve been trying to fix for 10 years.”
Martin’s claim of being “harassed” or “bullied” effectively painted Incognito, Mike Pouncey, and even their position coach Jim Turner, as villains. (The Pounceys are villains for other reasons, but still.)
Turner was FIRED after that Ted Wells report. Incognito became a public pariah- a living embodiment of the NFL’s “toxic locker-room culture.”
Entire seasons were spoiled. Careers tanked. Families were dragged into the spotlight. All because Martin decided it was easier to stretch the truth, or in this case, lie outright, than to admit he was struggling on his own.
I’m the last person to dismiss issues like depression or mental health. Martin has been open about his battles, and it’s commendable that he’s sought help.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not asking you to feel sorry for Incognito. He’s not a victim. He’s no choir boy, He’s no saint. His behavior during his time in Miami, on-and-off the field, was embarrassing at times.
But Incognito was a tortured individual doing what meathead football players do. When you play football — especially professional — it’s beneficial that you have a screw or two loose, and Incognito certainly did.
That’s what made him a Pro Bowler, and gained him the reputation as one of the NFL’s nastiest players. But Incognito, fellow offensive linemen Mike Pouncey and John Jerry, and their position coach (Jim Turner), who was fired after the Ted Wells report was published, weren’t Martin’s abusers.
Martin allowed his mother, family members, and the press spin the tale of a “hostile work environment” so he could exit professional football without bearing the blame. And in doing so, he trampled all over Incognito’s reputation. The guy who was his so-called “best friend” on the team.
They were his teammates and mentors. They were his friends, and at times his confidants. In fact, Incognito was Martin’s best friend on the team, a mentor, his protector.
I witnessed that with my own eyes. Their teammates testify to that for Wells’ report. Incognito once asked me to go easy on Martin with my criticism of his performance, and I did. So for Martin to paint Incognito as an abuser, and the reason he checked himself into a hospital during the 2013 season, and wanted to quit football, was wrong.
As the ESPN article detailed, Martin wanted to quit football because of his own demons, and personal struggles, on and off the field.
Richie Incognito is no saint. I’m not asking anyone to hold a candlelight vigil for the guy. The man is notorious for being a lunatic, (and some would call a dirty player), and his off-field antics in Miami were far from perfect.
He also slung the word “puss” even more than your biggest trashball friend
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But guess what? That’s football culture.
Especially in the NFL trenches, where you need a little bit of a wild streak to survive.
At least he wasn't knocking women out cold in hotel elevators.
The full ESPN article is here if you want to read it. It's long. And sad.
As mad as you want to be at Jonathan Martin for (almost) destroying other men's lives- by accusing them of doing that to him, when you read about the demons he's fighting to overcome and realize that he definitely didn't benefit from making those accusations, (far from it actually), it's hard to not feel pity.
Then, when you finish reading the article and consider that to this day, Martin has offered no real apology to Incognito, no public “my bad” to the guys who were scapegoated or the coaches who lost their jobs, all that changes.
It turns out that Martin has “rehabilitated” his life.
Supposedly, he’s some kind of "Bitcoin expert" now. No, seriously.
But let’s not pretend this is some redemption story. More than ten years later, he casually admits that he lied about the entire premise of “Bullygate.” And that’s it. He’s done. Mic drop. No regret or remorse about the collateral damage.
Meanwhile, Incognito prefers to stay silent. He’s turned down interviews and documentary offers because rehashing the most traumatic part of his life isn’t exactly appealing. Who can blame him?
He did spend yesterday standing up for himself.
And he's correct- this is far from a "victory lap" he's taking (as Pro Football Talk claimed)
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Jonathan Martin lied "because it was easier than telling the truth."
People do it all the time- self-preservation is a powerful instinct.
But in this case, Martin’s lie wasn’t harmless; it ruined relationships, cost people their jobs, and led to a year-long NFL fiasco that painted everyone in a horrible light.
If you’re going to hold a press conference or write a puff piece for ESPN about how you “never believed for a second” you were bullied, at least have the decency to apologize to the man who carried that label for over a decade.
That’s the bare minimum, no?
But Martin hasn’t done that. And that makes him one of the biggest assholes to ever step onto an NFL field. No matter how short his career or how deep his demons.
p.s. - a small silver lining in all of this, is that Incognito got a shot from the league's black sheep- the Raiders, and has been making quite the impression as a line coach.
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p.p.s.- who is holding Ted Wells accountable for the hatchet job he did on this Incognito "investigation" and Deflategate? Surely he and the league have to be liable no?