There are too many rumors to sort through at this point, so the only people who really know what’s happening inside the Dolphins’ locker room are Dolphins players. So, a former teammate of both Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito with the Dolphins would definitely have some valuable insight.
Former Dolphins offensive tackle Lydon Murtha, who played in Miami from 2009 through the end of training camp in 2012, wrote a first person account on TheMMQB.com of his relationship with both Martin and Incognito and his perspective on the dubious situation.
Murtha noted that he was impartial in the situation and just wanted to reveal the truth of the controversy. He explained that Martin was “standoffish and shy” when he first came to the Dolphins ahead of last season, and that he “couldn’t look anyone in the eye.”
Murtha also revealed that Incognito was one of Martin’s biggest supporters on the team, and that he was kinder to Martin than any other teammate.
Murtha went on to further analyze and explain other situations, including rookies paying for team dinners, which is tradition across the league, and the offensive line’s annual Las Vegas trip, which Incognito is accused of “extorting” $15,000 from Martin. The former teammate says that Martin, who ultimately decided not to attend, had originally agreed to go on the vacation but reneged at the last second after everything was already set and paid for. Incognito still sought and got the money from Martin — a story Murtha claims is being misrepresented. Then again, Murtha’s perspective on such matters may be skewed, considering he was no longer on the team at the time of the trip.
The first-person account also notes that the Dolphins’ coaching staff knew “everything” about the situation before it ever became public. He also confirms the idea that the coaches know who is getting “picked on” and that often times they are the ones calling for the player to be singled out.
Murtha hasn’t been in the Dolphins’ locker room in over year, as he retired from football after being released from the team last year, so his perspective may very well be outdated. He also may be getting some of his information from Incognito, who he attended Nebraska with, or some other biased players in the locker room. However, he has also provided more insight into the general state of an NFL locker room, even if not the one currently used in Miami, than was available before this. While his words probably shouldn’t be taken as Gospel, they do at least have some hint of credibility.
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