When Johnathan Martin left the Miami Dolphins late last week, speculation ran wild on what could have caused the second-year tackle out of Stanford to abruptly leave the team in the middle of the season. Over the next few days, troubling allegations of bullying gave way to disturbing stories of financial and racial harassment, led by veteran offensive lineman Richie Incognito.
We've built a timeline of the events surrounding the situation, going back to Incognito's first brushes with trouble in college, and we'll update it as new information comes to light.
Timeline
Spring 2003: Richie Incognito, a redshirt sophomore at Nebraska, is suspended by head coach Frank Solich for an unspecified violation of team rules. Incognito is reinstated before the start of the season, and goes on to start all 13 games for the Cornhuskers.
December 29, 2003: Incognito allegedly spits on several Michigan State players during the Alamo Bowl.
February 2004: Incognito is arrested and charged with three counts of assault following a fight at a party.
June 2004: After a three-day trial, Incognito pleads guilty to one count of misdemeanor assault, and gets off with a $500 fine.
September 2004: Incognito is suspended once again for an unspecified violation of team rules. He withdraws from classes a week later and transfers to the University of Oregon, who maintain his full scholarship.
October 2004: Incognito is released from the Oregon team without attending a single practice.
"There were conditions we had set down and set forth for him to be admitted to our program, and they were not met," Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti told The Oregonian.
Early 2005: Incognito declares for the 2005 NFL Draft. At the 2005 Draft Combine, ESPN Scouting notes "his inability to control his emotions both on and off the field is such a significant concern that he'll likely slip to the later rounds of the draft".
April 24, 2005: Incognito is selected with the 81st overall pick in the 3rd round by the St. Louis Rams.
November 2007: After cementing himself as an important part of the St. Louis offensive line, Incognito suffers a season-ending knee injury. During his rehabilitation process, he goes out to party "every night".
2009: A survey of 99 NFL players by The Sporting News names Incognito the NFL's dirtiest player.
December 13, 2009: Incognito headbutts two Tennessee Titans players in one game (a 47-7 loss), drawing a $50,000 fine from the NFL. Later that week, the Rams release Incognito. In his tenure with St. Louis, Incognito accumulated 38 penalties, including seven unnecessary roughness calls - more than any other player during that time.
December 16, 2009: The Buffalo Bills are awarded Incognito off waivers.
March 2010: Incognito's one-year contract expires after the Bills decline to renew. The player signs a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins.
April 26, 2012: The Miami Dolphins select Jonathan Martin, an offensive tackle out of Stanford, with the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Summer 2012: Several members of the Miami Dolphins travel to Las Vegas for a team trip. Despite Martin's lack of interest, he still contributes $15,000 toward the trip after pressure from Incognito and other veterans. According to ESPN, Martin "feared the consequences" of not handing over the money.
April 2013: Incognito leaves Martin a profanity-laced, racially charged phone message, calling him a "half (expletive) piece of (expletive)"
April 27, 2013: Incognito tweets about his excitement to "get to work" with Miami's rookie class.
August 17, 2013: In a preseason game against the Houston Texans, DE Antonio Smith becomes frustrated with Incognito's chippy play, and removes Incognito's helmet and swings it at his head.
August 30, 2013: NFL.com's Jeff Darlington publishes a glowing piece on Incognito, titled "The NFL's Dirtiest Player Comes Clean". Incognito is presented as a changed man.
October 28, 2013: Jonathan Martin leaves the Miami Dolphins facilities, citing "emotional" reasons. According to reports, when Martin sat down at a lunch table with teammates, they all got up to leave, causing Martin to "snap".
October 30, 2013: The first reports of Martin's absence from the team begin to surface.
October 31, 2013: In the Halloween-themed Gameday program for Miami's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Incognito lists Martin as the "Easiest teammate to scare".
November 3, 2013: ESPN's Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter report that Martin declined to publicly blame anyone for his leave of absence due to fear of "retribution, primarily from Incognito." Schefter and Mortensen's article goes on to state that "the matter is absolutely under review and preliminarily identifies Incognito as an alleged offender in multiple incidents of possible harassment and bullying over the past two seasons, with Martin not the only victim."
November 3, 2013: Incognito takes to Twitter to defend himself, posting a series of tweets aimed at Schefter and ESPN.
November 3, 2013: The Dolphins suspend Incognito indefinitely, and ask the NFL to join their investigation of the incident.
November 4, 2013: Adam Schefter tweets a series of quotes from a voicemail Incognito left for Martin in April.
November 4, 2013: A Miami Dolphins staff member tells the Miami Herald that Incognito "will never play another down for the Dolphins again, and that the team intends to cut ties with him at the earliest opportunity".
November 4, 2013: Deadspin reports that Richie Incognito's father, Richie Incognito Sr., is taking to internet message boards to discredit Martin and support his son.
November 5, 2013: Incognito tells Miami's Channel 7 "I'm just trying to weather the storm right now. It will pass.". When asked about the voicemail, Incognito responds "No comment".
November 5, 2013: Reports emerge that the voicemail Incognito left for Martin was motivated by a directive from Miami's coaching staff. Apparently, staff members asked Incognito to "toughen up" Martin after he skipped voluntary team workouts in April.
November 6, 2013: A Miami Dolphins player who declined to be identified by name tells The Miami Herald that Richie Incognito was considered an "honorary black man" while Martin was not.
November 6, 2013: De Smith, Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, calls for a meeting with Martin's and Incognito's agents to discuss the situation.
November 6, 2013: A number of Dolphins veterans come to Incognito's defense, publicly throwing their support behind the embattled player, rather than Martin.
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Read More:
Jonathan Martin, A Silent Victim, by Jason Smithberg
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