If you’re a sports fan and you were following the news in 2013, you doubtless read about then-Miami Dolphins player Richie Incognito, who was pilloried across national media for allegedly bullying his poor, delicate teammate Jonathan Martin.

Incognito was the perfect foil, a hulking white lineman who looked like a frat boy and had arms thicker than most people’s legs. The allegations were so disgusting that he became Public Enemy #1 and the face of the bullying “epidemic” in America.

Only problem? It wasn’t true. How do we know this? Because Martin, the alleged victim, is now recanting his story. It’s a little late for Incognito, who has been tainted by the scandal for over a decade now, but I guess late is better than never.

In a recent ESPN profile of Martin, the retired offensive tackle revealed that, contrary to the avalanche of reports at the time, he never felt bullied. The profile read:

“I never believed for a second I was being bullied,” Martin says now.

He wants the world to forget the only thing it remembers about him.

“It’s a story,” he says, “that I’ve been trying to fix for 10 years.”

The truth can’t get back the playing time Incognito lost—he was suspended by the Dolphins and basically blacklisted, losing the better part of two seasons. He eventually was able to partially resurrect his career with the Buffalo Bills, but his name was forever tied to the affair. 

He’s still angry, as most people would be, and railed against the legacy media on Sunday:

He couldn’t cut it in the NFL so he quit and his mom blamed me. Legacy media pushed this narrative long and far. Too bad it was all a lie! They lied to protect his money. He quit… the team had every right to claw back that money. His mom started the bullying narrative with @espn… https://t.co/ifFFJPG1H7

— Richie Incognito (@68INCOGNITO) February 16, 2025

The tweet continues:

His mom started the bullying narrative with @espn @AdamSchefter so that  @MiamiDolphins wouldn’t go after his signing bonus!

To me, the story always smelled, and Martin seemed odd. So why’d he do it? He’s now blaming his parents:

“I had a situation with my teammates that I wasn’t super happy about,” Martin told the outlet. “But my mother had her own read on the situation.”

“I hadn’t even told my coaches, hadn’t told anyone,” Martin added. “And suddenly it’s on ESPN, right? I didn’t believe any of the stances I was taking, right, where I’m this victim. I wasn’t a victim, right? And, again, it’s been a point of consternation.

“My mother maybe in her mind — I can’t read her mind — she thought she was doing the right thing.”

That is some seriously weak sauce. Incognito spent much of Sunday posting photos of him bullying Martin (this is one of many):

More “bullying” 🤣 pic.twitter.com/33n9XJxBGA

— Richie Incognito (@68INCOGNITO) February 16, 2025

Incognito holds special disdain for ProFootBallTalk, who he believes tried to bury him:

You tried to ruin my career over a lie! A decade later Jonathan Martin admits he was never bullied. His mother pushed the narrative of bullying to the media. Jonathan Martin never believed in the stance his camp was taking during the Ted Wells investigation. The NFL and the media… https://t.co/DxHrLOEWsk

— Richie Incognito (@68INCOGNITO) February 17, 2025

The NFL and the media ran with a false narrative, ruined careers, and moved on. 

It’s an ugly story all around. Were there some shenanigans? Almost certainly. If you’ve ever been in a football locker room at any level, you know there’s smack-talk, towel-snapping and roughhousing. It’s a violent game, and it’s not for the faint of heart.

But did it rise to the level of abuse and psychotic bullying? It did not, at least according to Jonathan Martin’s belated admission.

It won’t give Incognito all those years back, but at least the truth is out.