Richie Incognito says he has learned a lot from the Bullying scandal
Richie Incognito has been labeled as the NFL’s bad guy after numerous incidents, but none more problematic than the bullying incident that happened when he played for the Miami Dolphins. Well after sitting out an entire year of football, Incognito was asked by ESPN’s MIke Rodak about what he learned, and he sounded very sincere.
“It was definitely difficult sitting out, knowing I could still play, knowing I had talent to contribute,” said Incognito, via ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak. “It was a learning process. At first there was a lot of frustration: ‘Why am I not signed? Why am I not on a team?’ It was a time for inner reflection. Kind of a time for growth.
“Then it was an acceptance, and accepting the fact that I’m not going to play this year, that I’m going to have to chalk it up and wait for another opportunity.”
Incognito also addressed the bullying scandal that led the league to suspend him for eight games in 2013, and also talked about showing that he is a changed man, and can be a good citizen/teammate again.
“There was a lot of things said and done that I wish I could change,” he conceded. “But moving forward, you have to accept that there was definitely a learning process and a growing process and a process that I went through to become a better person. Nobody’s perfect. I think the biggest thing is I’ve learned from what I’ve went through, I’ve learned from what went down. I’ve grown from it.”
“Rex Ryan spent a lot of time talking about being a good teammate and coming in and putting my best foot forward,” the lineman said. “One of the big things they wanted to make sure was that I could still be myself without having any of the issues.
“I think that I can use this situation to shed light on a sensitive subject as well as kind of put my best foot forward and show that I have grown and I have learned from the situation,” Incognito continued. “The spotlight is definitely going to be on me, no doubt. But all I can do is just keep working hard to show that I’m changed and to show that I’m willing to do what it takes to be a productive member of the Buffalo community.”
NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com