This article really makes you step back and think.
I think Jason La Canfora has written something really good here.
"The more I think about the way the Miami Dolphins locker room reacted to the Jonathan Martin/Richie Incognito situation, the less surprising it seems. On the surface one might think their sweeping approval of Incognito, the accused, and relative disdain for Martin, the accuser, is counterintuitive, but I believe it's actually just the opposite.
Despite the varying accounts of these men, their complicated relationship and how seemingly at odds they are -- with Martin's claims of abuse or possible bullying opposite what his teammates say was the case -- perhaps there is an underlying truth that manages to account for that dichotomy. This topic is shaded deeply in gray, with very little in black and white, and facts, as they were, in short supply. Yet somehow, in the paradigm of an NFL locker room, could the perceptions of both Martin and the men he works with be grounded in versions of the truth all actually believe?
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer...nder-scrutiny-in-wake-of-martinincognito-flap
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vt_dolfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member
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The locker room is fine. The actions of 2 players are the ones open for opinion, judgement and punishment beit legal routes, NFL investigations and morals. Im just feeling bad for the team. They are the victims right now that i care about. Watched a Cam Wake interview 20mins ago on Phinsiders. I knew what was coming straight off the bat. Not the sack to win the game, not the 3 sacks, not the forced fumble, not the recovery. It was the question about this crap we've all witnessed in the last week. Its a shame and sad.
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Canfora's article pretty much captures my thoughts on the situation. Nice find.
vt_dolfan likes this. -
vt_dolfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member
I feel bad for the rest of the team, and I feel bad for us fans.
We devote alot of our time and effort into this team...and we should be focusing on Tampa and trying to make a run at the playoffs like everyone else. Instead....we have this **** to look forward to for the forseasble future. -
Good article.
In an previous career I investigated workplace harassment claims. From my experience I would add the following:
1) In genuine cases the perpetrator tends to only do the vicious stuff away from people who could disapprove, either with others who act the same way or behind closed doors. So it is common for other co-workers to be unaware of the true extent of the harassment. Quite often there is light hearted stuff done openly so when there is a reaction other co-workers feel that the victim is over-reacting but they are unaware of the true extent of the harassment.
2) Human instinct is to protect the herd from outsiders. The initial reaction of the work group is to rally behind the accused perpetrator. Maybe also it is easier to believe that the alleged victim is being a big sook rather than to accept that you stood by and did nothing when you should have stepped in.
3) Genuine victims only collect and retain evidence after it has been ongoing for a while, the first series of episodes is almost always dismissed. People with an enhanced sense of entitlement trying to claim to be a victim don't have evidence to back up their claims.
4) In workplaces where the initial complaints are not responded to seriously the trend is for the victim to feel isolated and try to cope on their own until there is a catastrophic failure. Management only become aware of the true facts after the catastrophic failire, and their most common reaction is to cover their pimply white behinds.
Things I would expect to see if Martin was being histrionic
1) Many loudly repeated complaints almost all of which have no evidence of occurring.
2) An enhanced sense of entitlement. An expectation for example that the OL coach change the entire methods because he knows better than everybody else how the Oline of an NFL tream works.
3) A lack of effort to try to fit into the group.
4) Evidence that they present as 'proof' of harassment does not objectively show bad faith or bad behaviour
So far on what has come out fits the pattern of genuine cases better than cases of precious petals expecting the world to conform to them.smahtaz, PhinGeneral, vt_dolfan and 1 other person like this. -
I don't remember reading or hearing of Martin asking Incognito to stop what he was doing? Does anyone remember reading or hearing of it?
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LaCanfora isn't great, but that is a really well written and thought out breakdown.
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No, I dont . And, apparently neither do his team mates. This is why I have a hard time siding with Martin wholeheartedly because it appears he never once said " enough is enough". Incognito, as obnoxious as he may be, probably would never purposely hurt Martin to a point where it would cause a nervous breakdown. Also, I feel the fact that Martin sent Incognito a text saying its not the teams fault speaks volumes on this whole subject.This whole situation blew up when Martin decided to let his Mother hear the voice mail and if it was so bothersome to him why didnt he come forward with it months ago.? -
As for Incognito not wanting to cause a nervous breakdown, the type of person who does this type of thing lacks sufficient empathy to understand what they are doing is wrong - otherwise they wouldn't be doing it in the first place. So if Incognito is someone who will harass Martin, he will keep on doing so until Martin breaks or he his forcible prevented from doing so. -
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This is one game where everyone loses. Including the NFL.
ANd my take is that it's Martin's Mother's character and influence that is driving this... Everything hit the fan when Mom found out.
Every time I say that, I feel like we're discussing a child.the 23rd, P h i N s A N i T y, unifiedtheory and 4 others like this. -
I reached that conclusion because it is what I saw time and time again when people suffering actual workplace harassment decompensated. It is very unusual in genuine cases for the victim not to make a statement like this.
The mental process is to think that they just need a break for a few days and that if they complain things will be much worse when they get back. So they want to keep things patched up and nice and not to burn any bridges behind them.
It's only when they need more than just a day or two away from the situation to resolve the problem that the full story starts coming out. -
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The evidence that it continued after the complaint was made to Philbin is that Martin left camp over the table incident. People are resilient and they don't snap and fail unless they are under placed under continued stress. If Martin was under stress over coaching who would have broken over a coaching incident, if he had come apart over relationship issues we would be talking about Martin the wife beater. The fact that it was an incident designed to humiliate Martin orchestrated by Incognito strongly implies that these sorts of incidents have been ongoing throughout the season.schmolioot likes this. -
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cuchulainn likes this.
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You're jumping to conclusions on anything being "designed to humiliate" Martin. There is no evidence of that. By all accounts he was treated as all others were. Same crude language, jokes, and treatment. The difference is in the way Martin handled things.the 23rd likes this. -
Sadly, he is almost a classic case of Aristole's tragic character - a man who is neither good and just, but whose misfortune is brought about by committing an injury or a great wrong leading to his misfortune... -
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I and my friends joke like that all the time. My wife and I even joke like that. It may not suit your sense of humor, but that does not damn something to be malicious if it wasn't.the 23rd, Colorado Dolfan and cuchulainn like this. -
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I'm just looking at things if this crossed my desk back when I investigated these things. I'm trying to analyse this as a workplace situation, not an NFL situation.
The general pattern I see is that Martin is doing the things I would expect someone who has genuinely been harassed to breaking point to be doing. The general pattern of things coming from the Dolphins is that what I saw from workplaces that were clueless as to what they were doing was wrong.
Of course the devil is in the detail, and facts may come out that may change how things may be seen. What I am saying is that if I were the Dolphin's insurer right now I would be very nervous and I would be looking for anything to exculpate me. -
this is a premeditated event or a simple case of Martin finding the wrong way out of something he didn't want to be a part of from the beginning.very unfortunate for our team. I believe Jon Jon will go down in infamy in Dolphin history, whatever his excuse. -
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The media is manipulating this entire situation to date. You take yourself a bit too serious. That threat could also get you in trouble in your workplace...Fin D likes this. -
6 months from now, however, I'll go to the mods and tell them I'm not ok with that sense of humor and you offended me and I hope they ban you.
Seem fair?Rocky Raccoon, NyPhinfan and cuchulainn like this. -
The other thing you cannot do is attempt to say that the working conditions in the NFL should be no different than the working conditions at the local furniture factory. The one thing the NFL does not need to do is become tolerant to players who cannot mentally handle this league.cuchulainn likes this. -
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