Former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin has retracted his bullying accusations against ex-teammate Richie Incognito after 12 years.
The “Bullygate” allegations rocked the NFL in 2013, with Incognito eventually getting suspended.
Martin’s parents, who were criticized for getting involved in their son’s affairs, released a voicemail Incognito left for their son to justify their intervention.
“Hey, wassup, you half-n—-r piece of s–t,” Incognito allegedly said in the message. “I saw you on Twitter, you been training 10 weeks. I’ll s–t in your f—ing mouth. I’m going to slap your f—ing mouth, I’m going to slap your real mother across the face [laughter]. F—k you, you’re still a rookie. I’ll kill you.”
Martin has recently come out with claims that he never believed he was being bullied.
“I never believed for a second I was being bullied,” he told ESPN. “It’s a story that I’ve been trying to fix for 10 years.”
Martin was drafted by Miami in 2012 and missed several practices in his second year. Reports would claim he had walked out of a cafeteria angrily because of bullying from his teammates.
He retained a lawyer, who is said to have found out that Incognito, as well as Mike Pouncey and John Terry, had been harassing him. The former OL is also reported to have checked himself into a hospital.
Incognito was suspended for the second half of the 2013 season and the entire 2014 season.
Jonathan Martin Says His Mother Was Responsible For “Bullygate”
Martin, meanwhile, has claimed the whole thing was his parents’ fault.
“I had a situation with my teammates that I wasn’t super happy about,” he explained. “But my mother had her own read on the situation.
“I hadn’t even told my coaches, hadn’t told anyone. And suddenly it’s on ESPN, right? I didn’t believe any of the stances I was taking, right, where I’m this victim. I wasn’t a victim, right? And, again, it’s been a point of consternation.
“My mother maybe in her mind — I can’t read her mind — she thought she was doing the right thing.”
Martin was traded to the San Francisco 49ers the following offseason. He played 15 games in 2014 before retiring due to a back injury.
Incognito signed with the Buffalo Bills following his suspension and played there for three years before spending another two with the Las Vegas Raiders. He reacted to the new claims last week.
“He couldn’t cut it in the NFL so he quit and his mom blamed me,” he wrote in a tweet. Legacy media pushed this narrative long and far. Too bad it was all a lie! They lied to protect his money. He quit… the team had every right to claw back that money. His mom started the bullying narrative with @espn@AdamSchefter so that @MiamiDolphins wouldn’t go after his signing bonus!”
Martin’s father, Gus, has also spoken to ESPN.
“His mom and I did strongly intervene,” Gus said. “To make sure he was protected.”
The saga put pressure on Jonathan Martin’s relationship with his parents, but he says they’ve since made up.
“She wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt me,” he said of his mother.
