Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito, along with two other lineman, bullied teammate Jonathan Martin, according to a report released by lawyer Ted Wells following an investigation into the matter ordered by the NFL.
The report released on Friday concluded that Incognito, along with linemen John Jerry and Mike Pouncey, "engaged in a pattern of harassment directed at not only Martin, but also another young Dolphins offensive lineman, whom we refer to as Player A for confidentiality reasons, and a member of the training staff, whom we refer to as the Assistant Trainer." The harassment detailed in the report included racial and homophobic insults along with taunts about Martin and his family members.
A second-year player, Martin abruptly left the team in October and sought treatment for emotional distress reportedly relating to mistreatment by his teammates. Incognito, who will become an unrestricted free agent in March, was suspended by the Dolphins in November and missed the final eight games of the regular season. Martin was subsequently placed on the non-football illness list in late November and also missed the remainder of the 2013 campaign.
In an interview with Jay Glazer of FOX Sports conducted that same month, Incognito admitted to using obscene language in communications with Martin but insisted the players had been friends. In a series of tweets two days before Wells released his report, Incognito lashed out at Martin, claiming "the truth is going to bury you." Contrary to Incognito's tweets, Wells' report clearly rejected the notion that Martin fabricated his claims.
The Report rejects any suggestion that Martin manufactured claims of abuse after the fact to cover up an impetuous decision to leave the team. Contemporaneous text messages that Martin sent to his parents and others months before he left the Dolphins -- which have never before been made public -- corroborate his account that the persistent harassment by his teammates caused him significant emotional distress.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross issued a statement shortly after the report was released, reaffirming his commitment to "a culture of team-first accountability and respect for one another." Based on an investigation that included interviews as well as reviewing text messages and emails, Wells described a locker room that didn't come close to Ross' ideal.
More from the Associated Press:
NEW YORK (AP) — Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin was subjected to "a pattern of harassment" that included racist slurs and vicious sexual taunts about his mother and sister by three teammates, according to a report ordered by the NFL.
The report said Richie Incognito, who was suspended by the Dolphins in November, and fellow offensive linemen John Jerry and Mike Pouncey harassed Martin. Another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer also routinely came under attack. Neither was named in the report.
Lawyer Ted Wells released his 144-page report Friday.
Wells says his inquiry found Martin was taunted and ridiculed almost daily. After Martin left the team in October, Incognito boasted about "breaking Jmart" in a notebook the linemen used to tally fines and bonuses among themselves. When the investigation began, Incognito asked another player to destroy the book, but investigators obtained it.
The other harassed player was "subjected to homophobic name-calling and improper physical touching," while the assistant trainer, who was born in Japan, was subjected to racial slurs.
"It was not difficult to conclude that the Assistant Trainer and Player A were harassed, but the questions raised in Martin's case were more complex, nuanced and difficult," the report says.
Although Wells concluded that Martin was abused by three teammates, he qualified some of the assertions in Martin's account.
Evaluating Martin's claims was difficult, "given his mental health issues, his possible heightened sensitivity to insults and his unusual, 'bipolar' friendship with Incognito," the report said.
"Nonetheless, we ultimately concluded that Martin was indeed harassed by Incognito, who can fairly be described as the main instigator."
In a statement emailed by a league spokesman, the NFL did not make any mention of possible punishment stemming from the case. Instead, the league confirmed that it had received Wells' report, and said it appreciated the Dolphins' cooperation with the investigation.
Wells said he does not intend to comment further.
The report comes about three months after Wells was retained by the league to investigate the case, which prompted a national debate about hazing and workplace bullying.
Incognito is white. Martin's father is black and his mother is white.
Martin told investigators Incognito joked that he and other teammates would rape Martin's sister, a medical student none of them had ever met. Incognito also called Martin various racial slurs, made jokes about slavery and routinely demeaned Martin for not being "black enough."
The report said Pouncey and Jerry followed Incognito's lead.
"To a great extent, Incognito dictated the culture," the report said. "We doubt that matters would have gotten so out of hand had Incognito not set a tone on the offensive line that made extremely vulgar taunting a typical form of communication."
The 6-foot-5, 312-pound Martin abruptly left the team Oct. 28. He was briefly hospitalized and then joined his family in California and underwent counseling for emotional issues. Incognito was barred from the season's last eight games.
Incognito expressed regrets about the racist and profane language he used with Martin, but said it stemmed from a culture of locker-room "brotherhood," not bullying.
Martin has said he tried to be friends with Incognito. The two players traded more than a thousand text messages in a year's span, and the teasing and vulgar banter went both ways, with references to sex, drugs, violence and bawdy behavior, often in a jocular tone.
"When we asked the NFL to conduct this independent review, we felt it was important to take a step back and thoroughly research these serious allegations," Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said. "As an organization, we are committed to a culture of team-first accountability and respect for one another."
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