Hazing May Be Rite of Passage for NFL Rookies
America's favorite sport of professional football seems to be flawed beyond concussions and unruly players in trouble; apparently player bullying is also prevalent, even when they wear the same team jersey. In recent news now plaguing the NFL, Miami Dolphins player, Richie Incognito, finds himself suspended and quite possibly out of job after intensely bullying teammate Jonathan Martin. Martin, who filed a player misconduct complaint, actually left the team as a result of the reported abuse.
In a statement regarding Incognito's suspension released by the Dolphins franchise, it stated, "we believe in maintaining a culture of respect for one another and as a result we believe this decision is in the best interest of the organization at this time." Also claiming to be working along side NFL officials, it is believed that Incognito is finished with the Dolphins.
In late October, Martin - a 300+ pound, bi-racial, second year rookie, suddenly left the team due to emotional distress. It was suggested that racism and homophobia may play a part in some kind of locker room drama. Some familiar with the situation, claimed that Incognito - a nine year pro, sent text and voice messages to Martin that contained explicit language, racist undertones and threats of bodily harm.
ESPN confirmed the activity and published a transcript of a threatening voice message that Incognito left for Martin back in April of this year. The transcript revealed that Incognito even threatened to kill Martin. Additional reports claim that Incognito's text messages included anti-gay comments among other vulgar slang.
Given the less-than-reputable records of several NFL players, it is no surprise that Incognito has had problems behaving in the past. His background lacks character citing suspensions for breaking team rules, multiple team transfers and immediate dismissals. Incognito was even voted one of NFL's dirtiest players in a 2009 Sporting News poll. Former teammates claim that he should be excommunicated from the sport and that no player would miss him.
Evidently, hazing, teasing and bullying is equally as common in the NFL as it is in college fraternity and sorority rushing. For NFL rookies, some veteran players actually consider it a rite of passage, although some players do fear that this incident took it a bit too far.
Rough and tough boys will be boys on and off the field. However, Incognito may be just that when it comes to his career; he may never be seen on the NFL football field again.
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