Richie Incognito: I’m not a racist, don’t judge me by that word
NBC Sports - Suspended Miami Dolphin Richie Incognito says he and Jonathan Martin frequently engaged in ribald humor and no one should paint Incognito as a racist.
NBC Sports – Suspended Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito admits that he called teammateJonathan Martin the N-word on a voicemail, but Incognito says the two of them frequently engaged in ribald humor and no one should paint Incognito as a racist.
“I’m not a racist and to judge me by that one word is wrong,” Incognito told Jay Glazer on FOX.
Still, Incognito acknowledged that he shouldn’t have used the N-word, even as he also said it’s a word that he frequently hears Martin and other teammates use.
“In no way, shape or form is it ever acceptable for me to use that word, even if it’s friend to friend, on a voicemail,” Incognito said. “It’s thrown around a lot. It’s a word that I’ve heard Jon use a lot. Not saying it’s right when I did it in the voicemail, but there’s a lot of colorful words thrown around in the locker room that we don’t use in everyday life.”
Incognito said he and Martin communicated in a way that many people wouldn’t understand — including Martin texting Incognito and jokingly threatening to “murder your whole f–king family.” But Incognito knows how people view him right now.
“It sounds like I’m a racist pig. It sounds like I’m a meathead. It sounds a lot of things that it’s not. And I wanted to clear the air just by saying I’m a good person,” Incognito said. “I’m embarrassed by my actions, but what I want people to know is the way Jonathan and the rest of the offensive line, and our teammates, how we communicate, it’s vulgar. . . . People don’t know how Jon and I communicate to one another.”
Incognito noted that many of his teammates, white and black, have said they support him.
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