Controversy has once again struck the NFL.
Throughout the past few weeks, much of the media attention surrounding the NFL has been focused on Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Jonathan Martin’s decision to leave his team.
Citing the “culture around football” as part of his motivation to leave, Martin’s abrupt departure from the Dolphins has renewed a debate on whether the NFL’s locker room environment can be detrimental to one’s overall well-being.
The controversy began to unfold on Oct. 28 when Martin left the team after an incident at the team’s facility, according to ESPN.
An unnamed source told ESPN that the offensive line “made fun of [Martin] and he snapped.”
Following Martin’s seemingly abrupt departure, the Dolphins suspended Martin’s teammate Richie Incognito for conduct detrimental to the team, according to ESPN.
Incognito, who has had a history of off-the-field incidents, was implicated in Martin’s departure when Martin accused him of bullying, according to ESPN.
Since he was suspended by the Dolphins last week, Incognito has been perceived as a bully by many football fans.
A voicemail from April 2012 that was recently made public showed Incognito using racial epithets, including the “N-word” toward Martin.
“I’m not a racist, and to judge me by that one word is wrong,” Incognito told Fox Sports on Sunday. “In no way, shape or form is it ever acceptable for me to use that word, even if it’s friend-to-friend on a voicemail.”
Should Incognito be held responsible for Martin’s decision to leave the Dolphins?
Hopefully an NFL investigation will ascertain the truth.
While Incognito’s actions and use of racial epithets may appear foreign to most of the American public, one must remember the environment in which they were said.
Discussions inside locker rooms are very different from discussions at the family dinner table.
Although Incognito’s use of the “N-word” cannot be justified, much of what he said is commonplace in NFL locker rooms throughout the country.
Instead of casting blame on Incognito, former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson said that Martin deserved much of the criticism.
“People have got to realize that the NFL locker room is full of joking and teasing and not in a malicious way, but at times tasteless and over the line,” Johnson said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Does the current NFL locker room environment need to be changed for the better?
If Incognito’s vocal abuse and the Dolphins’ negative locker room environment forced Martin to leave, then some changes need to be made.
Making sure the head coach controls what goes on in the locker room is integral to the creation of a positive locker room environment.
Instead of putting most of the blame on Incognito, critics should point to the harsh environment and propose solutions to reform it.
Blaming Incognito doesn’t address the real elephant that’s lurking in the room.
Shane Newell is a junior journalism major and the opinions editor at the Daily 49er.