Incognito explains his side of story

Richie Incognito said he never intended to hurt Jonathan Martin, a fellow offensive lineman on the Miami Dolphins, and that his way of motivating Martin has been misinterpreted, he said in an interview that aired on Fox Sunday.

“This isn’t an issue about bullying,” Incognito said. “This is an issue of mine and Jon’s relationship where I’ve taken stuff too far and I didn’t know it was hurting him.”

At the center of the controversy, which began in late October when Martin suddenly left the team, are text and voice mail messages that include crude and threatening language.

Incognito said that the words may appear inappropriate to those unfamiliar with his relationship with Martin, but that they were typical of their friendship.

“I’m embarrassed by my actions,” Incognito said. “But what I want people to know is, the way Jonathan and the rest of the offensive line and how our teammates, how we communicate, it’s vulgar.”

He added: “When the words are put in the context, I can understand why a lot of eyebrows are raised. People don’t know how Jon and I communicate to one another.”

He said Martin also sent him threatening text messages.

The interviewer, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, said that he had been friends with Incognito for about five years and trained him in mixed martial arts for three years.

Martin has not returned to the team, while Incognito has been suspended indefinitely. The NFL has hired Ted Wells, a wellknown lawyer, to investigate.

Investigators will interview Incognito in Florida this week, Fox said. The NFL declined to comment about details of its investigation.

The NFL is likely to be interested in the content of the 1,142 text messages that Incognito said he exchanged with Martin in the past year, and that he shared with Fox.