Former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Lydon Murtha published a column for MMQB on Thursday that offered his take on Richie Incognito's alleged bullying of Jonathan Martin. Below are five gems to take away from the story, including Murtha's account of the $15,000 Las Vegas trip and the cafeteria prank that apparently set Martin off.
1. Martin was standoffish with his teammates.
"From the beginning, when he was drafted in April 2012, Martin did not seem to want to be one of the group. He came off as standoffish and shy to the rest of the offensive linemen. He couldn't look anyone in the eye, which is puzzling for a football player at this level on a team full of grown-ass men.
"We all asked the same question: Why won't he be open with us?"
2. Incognito took Martin under his wing.
"They were close friends by all appearances. Martin had a tendency to tank when things would get difficult in practice, and Incognito would lift him up. He'd say, there's always tomorrow. Richie had been more kind to Martin than any other player."
3. Incognito didn't bully Martin - he never treated Martin worse than anyone else.
"I don't believe Richie Incognito bullied Jonathan Martin. I never saw Martin singled out, excluded from anything, or treated any differently than the rest of us. ...
"In other situations, when Martin wasn't showing effort, Richie would give him a lot of crap. He was a leader on the team, and he would get in your face if you were unprepared or playing poorly. The crap he would give Martin was no more than he gave anyone else, including me.
"Other plays said the same things Incognito said to Martin, so you'd need to suspend the whole team if you suspend Incognito."
4. $15,000 Las Vegas trip and cafeteria "prank" blown way out of proportion by media.
Murtha said it's a yearly tradition for the Dolphins' offensive linemen to go to Las Vegas. Everything - hotels, travel, tickets to shows - is paid for in advance. Martin had initially committed to go on the trip, but then backed out once everything was booked. Incognito and other veterans asked for Martin's share and Martin paid. It ended there, according to Murtha.
Murtha, who was no longer with the team at the time, also described what he heard about the infamous cafeteria "prank" on Oct. 28, when everyone got up from the table once Martin sat down. The prank led to Martin taking a leave of absence from the team.
"Whoever leaked that story failed to share that getting up from a packed lunch table when one lineman sits down is a running gag that has been around for years. It happened to me more than once, and it happened to Martin because guys on the team say he was overcoming an illness.
"...(When) Incognito reached him after he stormed out, Martin told him the departure had nothing to do with Incognito. Martin said it was something else. Then the media onslaught began."
5. Coaches knew what was going on, told Incognito to bring Martin "out of his shell."
"The coaches know everything. The coaches know who's getting picked on and in many cases call for that player to be singled out. Any denial on that side is ridiculous. I have friends on more than a dozen teams, and it's the same everywhere.
"...Coaches told the leaders, bring him out of his shell. Figure him out a little bit."
Murtha concludes with his belief that both Incognito and Martin may be finished in the NFL. Incognito could be ostracized for his newfound reputation as a racist and a bully, and Martin could be ostracized as a selfish snitch unwilling to stand up for himself like a man.
Murtha played as an offensive tackle for Miami from 2009 until the 2012 preseason. He's since retired from the NFL. Read the full article on MMQB.com HERE.
