NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has appointed a prominent attorney from a New York firm to direct an independent investigation into workplace conduct among the Dolphins amid reports that persistent bullying by guard Richie Incognito prompted tackle Jonathan Martin to leave the team last week.
The Dolphins suspended Incognito indefinitely Sunday night, six days after Martin left the team following an incident in the team’s cafeteria. Martin is with his family in California.
Goodell named Ted Wells, a senior partner in the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, to direct the investigation. The results will be made public once the case is completed, according to the league.
“Ted Wells will independently direct the investigation and submit a report to me,” Goodell said in a statement late Wednesday afternoon. “Mr. Wells will conduct a thorough and objective investigation. He will ensure that we have all the facts so that we can address this matter constructively.
“Ted Wells will have full authority to investigate as he deems appropriate. He is on the job as of today and will undertake to complete his work as promptly as possible. Consistent with doing a thorough investigation, we have not imposed a specific timetable on him.”
Wells has conducted special investigations into the Syracuse University basketball team’s sexual harassment case and the NBA Players Association’s union leadership dispute. He was hired by the NBA union and issued the report that eventually led to the ouster of the group’s leader, Billy Hunter.
“I am pleased to accept this appointment by commissioner Goodell,” Wells said. “My task is to assemble the facts and present my findings to the commissioner. I will do so fairly and comprehensively so that commissioner Goodell can address this matter properly. I will begin my work immediately and report my findings to the commissioner as soon as practical.”
The Dolphins have said they will offer their full support for the investigation.
“Under league policy, all employees have the right to a workplace free of any form of harassment,” Goodell said. “We are fully committed to an appropriate working environment for all NFL personnel.”
In Miami, Dolphins coach Joe Philbin has declined to address questions related to the investigation. But players have expressed surprise that the matter got out of hand.
“If you asked Jonathan Martin who his best friend is on this team two weeks ago, he’d say Richie Incognito,” Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill said Wednesday. “First guy to stand up for Jonathan when anything went down on the field, any kind of tussle, Richie was the first guy there. When they wanted to hang out outside of football, who was together, Richie and Jonathan. I’m not in those guys’ shoes. I can’t explain what’s going on.”
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported late Tuesday night that sources indicated Dolphins coaches urged Incognito to “toughen up” Martin when the tackle missed two days of voluntary offseason practices last April. Incognito reportedly left a profanity-laced, racially charged message on Martin’s voice mail around that time. ESPN reported Wednesday that Martin was hospitalized briefly for emotional distress at a South Florida facility shortly before he left the team.
Incognito has said very little since being suspended. “You know what, I’m just trying to weather the storm right now,” he told WSVN-TV Tuesday. “This will pass.”
Tannehill praised Incognito, saying: “All I know about Richie is that he’s a great teammate to me. I saw him be a great teammate all the time.
“Does he like to give guys a hard time? Yes. Does he like to pester guys and have fun? Yes. He brought a lot of laughter to this locker room. He brought a lot of cohesiveness to this locker room. He was the best teammate I could ask for.”
Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline said, “The truth is going to come out.” Hartline said Martin was passing the voice mail around earlier in the year and laughing about it. The receiver said the Dolphins ordered the players on Monday not to comment about the situation, but that they decided to “defend ourselves” on Wednesday.
As controversy continues to swirl over the alleged bullying, the Giants are redoubling their efforts to make certain nothing similar ever happens inside their locker room.
Coach Tom Coughlin spoke to his captains on Wednesday and will address the rest of the team on Thursday to discuss the situation and reinforce the need for players to respect one another.
“Vigilance is a key issue there,” Coughlin said.
One of the reasons the coach is addressing the team is because of comments Antrel Rolle made Tuesday in a radio interview, saying Martin was just as much to blame for the situation as Incognito. Rolle later backed away from that equal division of blame, but still insisted Martin’s inability to stand up for himself played a part in the incident.
“The teamwork concept is the first thing in the door for us,” Coughlin said. “We need everybody. We want everybody to be the very, very best football player that they can possibly be. When you say things like that, you need to back it up with the fact that the player has to be comfortable in his environment. He’s not going to grow and develop if he isn’t.”
Quarterback Eli Manning, one of the Giants’ captains, was very concerned about the Dolphins’ situation.
“If you have conflicts among teammates and personal problems, it can definitely cause concerns,” Manning said. “It’s gotten so bad in Miami it’s taking it to a whole new level. Guy leaves the team and another guy has been relieved from the team. Obviously, that’s the extreme. I don’t know all the facts of what happened down there, but I haven’t seen anything like that here.”
Said Giants defensive end Justin Tuck: “There’s no place for bullying. We’ve all been around and we all have our rituals of getting the rookies (to get us) doughnuts and chicken for the plane, that’s just part of the passing down. But there’s no place for hatred. There has to be a line somewhere that can’t be crossed, and if it is crossed, it needs to be dealt with.”
