This might be Richie Incognito’s last chance, and no one knows that more than Richie Incognito.
The controversial offensive lineman recently was signed by the Buffalo Bills, more than a year after his tenure with the Miami Dolphins ended amid a bullying scandal involving teammate Jonathan Martin.
Incognito has avoided the spotlight of late, but he recently opened up to NFL Media’s Jeff Darlington to discuss a conversation he had with Bills owner Terry Pegula, Pegula’s wife Kim and other members of the Bills’ front office in which he explained why he deserved another shot.
“I told them what I had learned from the whole situation,” Incognito said, via NFL.com. “That I needed to respect those around me more and that I needed to realize I may find things funny that other find offensive. This whole learning process was about becoming self-aware. About becoming a better person/teammate/leader.
“We mutually expressed that this would be my last chance and we should look at it as a positive. Take the opportunity to bring attention to a sensitive subject while proving to people that I’m not a racist jerk. We talked about possible ways to turn this situation around and ways we can impact the community. We had a good talk for about an hour. They met separately. They then came back and said they would like me to be part of the organization.”
Incognito’s road to retribution won’t be smoothly paved. A Buffalo anti-bullying group recently claimed that Incognito’s signing was a “slap in the face” due to his past history. That came after Bills coach Rex Ryan said in his introductory press conference that his goal is to “build a bully” in Buffalo.
The Bills are hoping Incognito doesn’t take that literally.
Thumbnail photo via Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports Images
