Incognito Denies Bullying Incident; Says Funeral Home Arrest Fueled By Drugs, Alcohol
Oakland Raiders guard Richie Incognito denied that he ever bullied Jonathan Martin when both were members of the Miami Dolphins and says his 2018 arrest at an Arizona funeral home was fueled by drugs and alcohol.
In an interview that aired on "HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel," Incognito took issue with being blamed for Martin not playing in the NFL and the league investigators who came to interview me afterward.
"I did not drive him out of the league," he said. "I believe his mental health issues and his demons in his past drove him out of the league.
"I fit the bill. Hey, racist, homophobic, whatnot. What I’m saying was, we were close, personal friends. It wasn’t factored into, ‘Hey, this is guy talk, these are two alpha males talkin’ to each other.’ Was some bad s--- said? Absolutely. But was this a case of bullying? Absolutely not."
Incognito also tried to explain his August 2018 arrest at a funeral home in Scottsdale, Arizona where police said he threatened to shoot people. He was arrested on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct.
"I never thought (about using the guns) one bit," Incognito said. "I made a finger gesture like this (shows his index and middle fingers pointed out and his thumb up) ... 'I'm going to go to the vehicle, I'll be right back.' My intention was to go to the vehicle and grab my father's medical records to come in and show them."
Incognito made season debut last Sunday in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings after serving a two-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
