NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and league-appointed investigator Ted Wells are drawing plenty of criticism for how they’re handling Tom Brady‘s DeflateGate case, but Bills guard Richie Incognito tore into them Saturday for how they dealt with his own scandal a couple years ago.
The league suspended Incognito from November 2013 to February 2014 after a bullying case involving then-Dolphins teammate Jonathan Martin. Incognito, who subsequently sat out all of last season and then signed with Buffalo this past winter, told Newsday’s Bob Glauber: “Ted Wells came in slanted against me and everything in his report was slanted against me. There were some things in there that would have helped my cause that were left out.”
Incognito noted there was “teammate testimony” that would’ve helped his cause, but Wells didn’t pay it any mind. Further, Albert Breer of NFL Network tweeted that “a lot of Dolphins coaches felt their voiced weren’t heard by Wells.”
Regarding Goodell, Incognito said, “I just think it’s bogus, the whole system in how it’s set up with Roger and the complete, absolute power he has.”
“You have to get a little power out of [Goodell’s] hands and get [an independent arbitrator] to take a look at it.”
More from the AFC:
- Sunday represented a significant step in the return of Chiefs safety Eric Berry. The three-time Pro Bowler practiced in full pads with the second-team defense just eight months removed from a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma and three months since his final chemotherapy treatment, writes Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. Berry’s teammates are excited about his progress. “It’s motivation, courage — for the whole team,” said linebacker Derrick Johnson. “This means a lot to us.”
- This could be a make-or-break year for Steelers linebacker Jarvis Jones, an anonymous general manager told Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN (Twitter link). The former Georgia star has a paltry three sacks in two years since the Steelers used a first-round pick on him in 2013.
- The race to be the Browns’ third quarterback behind Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel is currently a dead heat between Connor Shaw and Thaddeus Lewis. “I wouldn’t list one of those guys [Shaw or Lewis] ahead of the other,” head coach Mike Pettine said Sunday, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “Obviously, Josh is firmly the one, as I’ve said. Johnny is the two, and I would slash those guys [Shaw and Lewis] at the three.”
A lot of inexperienced players and players who have not yet done much in their careers will need to step up for the Steelers to make a legitimate run at a championship. Jones is a perfect example. He and Dupree have the talent to be a strong pass-rushing duo, and combined with Shazier and Timmons, their linebacking corps has significant upside. It will be interesting to see what Keith Butler does to get the most out of these guys.
The Incognito case never “smelled” right to me. I guess the fact that Jonathan Martin’s mother is an attorney that specializes in “bullying in the workplace” was enough for me to question the motivation in his complaints.
I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Mommy has diversified her practice to include “back injuries caused by NFL football” since poor Jonathan had to retire for that reason.