Incognito says threats a part of brotherhood

Suspended Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito said teammate Jonathan Martin sent him a threatening text message as an apparent joke only a week before their relationship became the subject of a harassment case that has prompted an NFL investigation.

In an interview with Fox Sports, Incognito said he never took the threat seriously. Incognito said he regrets the racist and profane language he used with Martin, but said it stemmed from a culture of locker-room “brotherhood,” not bullying.

“A week before this went down, Jonathan Martin texted me on my phone — ‘I will murder your whole … family,’ ” Incognito said, quoting Martin as using a profanity. “Now did I think Jonathan Martin was going to murder my family? Not one bit. … I knew it was coming from a brother. I knew it was coming from a friend. I knew it was coming from a teammate. That just puts in context how we communicate with one another.”

Responding to the interview, Martin’s attorney tweeted the message Incognito quoted. The message was accompanied by two photos of a laughing woman holding a dog, suggesting it was intended as a joke.

Texans

Running back Arian Foster will undergo back surgery next week and miss the rest of the season. Foster didn’t practice all week after injuring his back against Indianapolis last Sunday. He also missed most of Houston’s previous game with a hamstring problem.

49ers

San Francisco lost tight end Vernon Davis and rookie safety Eric Reid to concussions against Carolina. Davis was injured in the second quarter and taken to the locker room before halftime for evaluation, then Reid went down on a helmet-to-helmet hit on Mike Tolbert in the third.

Elsewhere

The Seahawks are 9-1 for the first time in franchise history. … Calvin Johnson, playing in his 100th career game for the Lions, has 8,740 yards receiving, the second most in NFL history in a player’s first 100 games. He passed Randy Moss (8,680) and only trails Hall of Famer Lance Alworth (9,019). … Arizona linebacker John Abraham had two sacks and a forced fumble Sunday against Houston and now has 127 career sacks and passed Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas (126½) to move into 12th place in NFL history.