NFLPA Breaks Silence on Richie Incognito Situation, Holds Team Accountable for Safety, Professionalism in Locker Room

There’s an apparent bullying problem in the Dolphins’ locker room, and the NFL Players Association is taking a deeper look into the issue.

Richie Incognito‘s persistent bullying of teammate Jonathan Martin, who took an indefinite leave from the team due to the abuse last week, led to an investigation by both the NFL and NFLPA into the Dolphins’ locker room atmosphere. Two days after the league and union both received copies of Incognito’s inappropriate messages and the Pro Bowl guard was indefinitely suspended by the team, the NFLPA finally released a formal statement on the situation.

“We expect that the NFL and its clubs create a safe and professional workplace for all players and that owners, executives, coaches and players should set the best standards and examples. It is the duty of this union to hold the clubs and teams accountable for safety and professionalism in the workplace,” the statement read.

“As the representative organization of all players, the NFLPA will insist on a fair investigation for all involved. We will continue to remain in contact with the impacted players, their representatives and player leadership.”

The NFL hasn’t released any information about its own investigation into the issue, but Adolpho Birch, NFL senior VP of labor law and policy, will be the one conducting the investigation.

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