An investigation into the racially charged Miami Dolphins bullying scandal detailed widespread harassment in the team’s locker room that extended beyond the two players at the center of the probe. ADVERTISING An investigation into the racially charged Miami Dolphins bullying
An investigation into the racially charged Miami Dolphins bullying scandal detailed widespread harassment in the team’s locker room that extended beyond the two players at the center of the probe.
The NFL-ordered report stated there was a “pattern of harassment” committed by at least three players and extended to two linemen and an assistant trainer, all targets of vicious taunts and racist insults.
Lawyer Ted Wells released the report Friday, saying guard John Jerry and center Mike Pouncey followed Richie Incognito’s lead in harassing Jonathan Martin, who left the team in October. They threatened to rape his sister, called him a long list of slurs and bullied him for not being “black enough.”
In a statement emailed by a league spokesman, the NFL did not make any mention of possible punishment stemming from the case. The league only confirmed it had received the report and said it appreciated the Dolphins’ cooperation with the investigation. Wells said he does not intend to comment further.
Martin is biracial, Incognito is white, and Jerry and Pouncey are black.
Martin’s agent Kenneth Zuckerman said his client feels “vindicated” by the report.
“He feels a great sense of relief,” Zuckerman told The Associated Press. “Jonathan Martin is a great man and he’s only shown me that he is very honest since the day I met him. He loves football and is eager to get back on the field, regardless of what team he plays for.”
Incognito’s attorney Mark Schamel released a statement calling Wells’ report “replete with errors” and said that Martin “was never bullied by Richie Incognito or any member of the Dolphins’ offensive line.”
Martin, who has two years left on his contract with the Dolphins, declined interview requests.
Incognito was suspended in November, but Pouncey and Jerry remained starters throughout the season.
The report mentioned another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer who also routinely came under attack from the trio. Neither was identified in the report.
Ex-safety Sharper charged in rape case
LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors charged former NFL safety Darren Sharper on Friday with raping and drugging two women in California and disclosed he is under investigation in connection with five more drug-related rapes in three other states.
Sharper briefly appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court, where his arraignment was postponed until Feb. 20 at the request of his lawyers. They issued a statement saying he would be exonerated.
Prosecutors then filed a motion to increase Sharper’s bail to $10 million and outlined details of investigations involving him in Las Vegas, Tempe, Ariz., and New Orleans.
Sharper has not been charged in the other jurisdictions.
In the bail motion, Los Angeles County Investigator John Maccharella described a pattern in which the former football star met women at clubs or parties and lured them to a hotel room, where they were allegedly drugged and raped.
The motion says the incidents happened in the past five months, with two occurring within a day in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Sharper, 38, played in the NFL from 1997 to 2010, mostly with the Packers. He was selected All-Pro six times and chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. He played in two Super Bowls, one with the Packers as a rookie and a second with the Saints.
Goodell made $44.2 million in 2012
NEW YORK — Commissioner Roger Goodell made $44.2 million in 2012, according to tax returns the league has submitted.
Goodell earned $35.1 million in salary, bonus and pension compensation. Based on IRS reporting guidelines, his total 2012 compensation includes a $5 million incentive payment and a $4.1 million pension payment from the 2011 lockout year that was paid in 2012.
The league’s revenues have approached $10 billion and its TV ratings dominate all other programming.
By wire sources
