Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito has been at the epicenter of a firestorm that involves racial implications, and hazing and bullying allegations from his own teammate, Jonathan Martin, who left the team on Oct. 28. Finally, after a week of seeing named and face dragged through the mud, Incognito sat down for an interview with FOX’s Jay Glazer.
Martin’s attorney, David Cornwell, released a statement Thursday that alleges that Martin endured harassment that went far beyond the traditional locker-room hazing. Cornwell also stated that, beyond the well-publicized voice mail with its racial epithet, his client “endured a malicious physical attack on him by a teammate, and daily vulgar comments. The facts are not in dispute.”
Incognito responded to the controversy Sunday, in a sit-down interview with FOX Sports that was taped Saturday at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. It is Incognito’s first extended interview since the story broke.
In the interview, Incognito asserts that he’s not a racist, insists that his relationship with Martin was not as fractured as it may seem and says that much of what has been reported is misleading. You can see the interview in the video above and read the transcript below.
Incognito also turned over his phone records that showed 1,142 texts between him and Martin in the past year. Martin sent these two texts to Incognito three days after he left the team:
“Wassup man? The world’s gone crazy lol I’m good tho congrats on the win”
“Yeah I’m good man. It’s insane bro but just know I don’t blame you guys at all it’s just the culture around football and the locker room got to me a little.”
