Ricky Williams spoke out against bullying in the NFL on Sunday in the wake of the Jonathan Martin situation with the Miami Dolphins. Offensive lineman Richie Incognito, who was said to be one of Martin’s main tormentors, has been suspended indefinitely as the league investigates a number of reports about his alleged role in Martin’s departure from the team.
Williams, a former Dolphins running back who played with Incognito in 2010, initially tweeted that he was in awe over the fact that bullying is an issue in the NFL.
I might be missing something, did I just see a story about bullying IN THE NFL? really? That bs flys in the NFL? what's the world coming to?
— Ricky Williams (@RickyWilliams) November 3, 2013
@AKuperstein the whole idea of bullying is based on victimhood. if an NFL lineman can be a victim to it, our kids are all doomed.
— Ricky Williams (@RickyWilliams) November 4, 2013
When Williams was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in 1999, he said head coach Mike Ditka banned hazing. One year prior, second-round draft pick Cam Cleeland was injured during an infamous hazing incident in which veterans forced rookies to put pillow cases over their heads and run through a gauntlet of players.
@MikeDitka my rookie year told us no hazing. he said if there was any, the hazer and the hazee would both be sent home. no hazing that year.
— Ricky Williams (@RickyWilliams) November 3, 2013
Cleeland ended up bleeding from the nose and eye after the incident, and his father later ripped the Saints organization for not looking out for its players.
Interestingly enough, Williams has a history with Incognito that extends beyond the two just playing alongside one another. In an NFL.com article that spoke about Incognito’s reputation as being one of the league’s dirtiest players, the 30-year-old admitted to seeking advice from Williams on how to control his anger.
“Hey, Rick,” Incognito recalled saying to Williams. “Can I … can you … can you, like … teach me how to meditate? Can you … can you tell me what this is all about?”
That was Incognito’s first year in the league. He has denied that he was the main person bullying Martin and even shared a text message conversation between the two, but the Dolphins decided to suspend him anyway. If reports are Martin being “genuinely scared” of what Incognito might do to him are true, you can understand why Williams is amazed at what he is hearing. In many ways, we all are.
