Dolphins Richie Incognito fires back at reports he bullied teammate Jonathan Martin

ESPN’s Adam Schefter detailed a situation in which he claims Martin was intimidated by Incognito to contribute $15,000 toward a trip to Las Vegas by the team’s offensive lineman. Martin, according to Schefter, didn’t take the trip, but allegedly gave up the $$ anyway. Incognito let off a stream of blistering tweets to Schefter accusing him of lying and demanding an apology from ESPN.

Following the release of that information, Miami Herald reporter, Adam Beasley shared knowledge he had on the topic of veterans punking rookies into paying for expensive dinners.

This sort of hazing isn’t just limited to the NFL. But keep in mind, NFL contracts aren’t guaranteed. Players aren’t shy about tweeting evidence of this type of hazing.

Granted, in most cases it’s all in good fun. But you can see where it could present a problem.

The Miami Dolphins statement:

The Miami Dolphins, including Coach Joe Philbin and Jonathan’s teammates, have been in communication with Jonathan and his family since his departure from the club and continue to be in contact. Our primary concern for Jonathan is his overall health and well-being. As an organization, we take any accusations of player misconduct seriously. The notion of bullying is based on speculation and has not been presented to us as a concern from Jonathan or anyone else internally. The reports that the NFLPA is investigating our players are inaccurate. Additionally, the NFL offered its assistance during this time, which we appreciated and gladly accepted. We will continue to make Jonathan’s health and well-being a focus as we do with all of our players.

Somewhere in between the lines of all this lies the truth.