The attorney for Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Jonathan Martin released a statement on Thursday providing more details about the alleged harassment his client endured. In light of the overwhelming support Richie Incognito has received from his teammates, releasing the embattled lineman may cost coach Joe Philbin the locker room.
Martin's attorney provided details, albeit without any evidence, of the harassment Martin reportedly suffered at the hands of his teammates.
The full statement, released by Martin's attorney, David Cornwell, during halftime of Thursday Night Football (via Pro Football Talk):
"Jonathan Martin's toughness is not at issue. Jonathan has started every game with the Miami Dolphins since he was drafted in 2012. At Stanford, he was the anchor for Jim Harbaugh's 'smash mouth' brand of football and he protected Andrew Luck's blind side.
"The issue is Jonathan's treatment by his teammates. Jonathan endured harassment that went far beyond the traditional locker room hazing. For the entire season-and-a-half that he was with the Dolphins, he attempted to befriend the same teammates who subjected him to the abuse with the hope that doing so would end the harassment. This is a textbook reaction of victims of bullying. Despite these efforts, the taunting continued. Beyond the well-publicized voice mail with its racial epithet, Jonathan endured a malicious physical attack on him by a teammate, and daily vulgar comments such as the quote at the bottom. These facts are not in dispute.
"Eventually, Jonathan made a difficult choice. Despite his love for football, Jonathan left the Dolphins. Jonathan looks forward to getting back to playing football. In the meantime, he will cooperate fully with the NFL investigation.
"Quote from teammate: 'We are going to run train on your sister.... She loves me. I am going to f--- her without a condom and c-in her c---.'"
It's worth noting the "well-publicized" voice mail Cornwell referred to hasn't been released; excerpts, without any context, were reported on Monday by ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Simply releasing Incognito, who's currently suspended, doesn't appear to be an easy option for the Dolphins anymore. His teammates have openly supported Incognito and questioned Martin's decision to go public with his allegations.
If Philbin and Miami's front office cut Incognito from the roster, they risk losing the locker room amidst a 4-4 season.
Miami has until Dec. 3 to decide whether to release Incognito due to a four-week limit on suspensions for conduct detrimental to the team, according to NFL.com's Albert Breer.
