Former NFL offensive lineman Richie Incognito is firing back at ESPN’s Adam Schefter and other media outlets after new revelations emerged about the infamous 2013 “Bullygate” scandal. The controversy, which led to Incognito’s suspension and a media firestorm, was reignited when Jonathan Martin, the former Miami Dolphins offensive tackle at the center of the scandal, admitted he never believed he was being bullied.
“I never believed for a second I was being bullied,” Martin told ESPN. “It’s a story that I’ve been trying to fix for 10 years.”
The allegations against Incognito stemmed from reports that Martin stormed out of the Dolphins’ cafeteria in 2013 due to persistent harassment from teammates. This led to an NFL investigation. The Ted Wells Report, commissioned by the league, concluded that Incognito, along with Mike Pouncey and John Jerry, engaged in a “pattern of harassment.” The fallout led to Incognito’s suspension for the rest of the season and Martin’s departure from the team.
Now, more than a decade later, Martin is shifting the blame, saying his mother played a major role in shaping the narrative.
Richie Incognito was right all along…he didn't bully Jonathan Martin, and NFL insiders were wrong
“I had a situation with my teammates that I wasn’t super happy about,” Martin explained. “But my mother had her own read on the situation.”
“He couldn’t cut it in the NFL so he quit and his mom blamed me,” Incognito wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Legacy media pushed this narrative long and far. Too bad it was all a lie! They lied to protect his money… His mom started the bullying narrative with @espn @AdamSchefter so that @MiamiDolphins wouldn’t go after his signing bonus!”
Incognito also singled out Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, demanding accountability for their reporting at the time.
“Care to comment, Mike Florio?” he posted.
To be fair to Schefter, he wasn’t the only journalist covering the controversy, but Incognito is making it clear that the media’s portrayal of him had real consequences. His reputation took a hit, and he missed significant time in the league before signing with Buffalo and later finishing his career with the Raiders.
The full scope of Martin’s role in the scandal is only now coming to light, and the story that once painted Incognito as the villain is being re-evaluated in real-time. Whether Incognito seeks further action—legal or otherwise—remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: he won’t let the media off the hook without a fight.
