Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Jonathan Martin isn't returning to the team anytime soon. Martin is expected to be placed on the non-football injury (NFI) list this week following his departure from the team for emotional reasons, and the Dolphins organization will deal with stories suggesting systemic issues of how their young players are treated.
ESPN reported Sunday that guard Richie Incognitoconvinced Martin to contribute $15,000 to help finance a trip to Las Vegas, even though Martin didn't go on the trip. Other reported instances of intimidation reportedly are captured on voicemails and texts.
Incognito took exception to the reporting.
The entire Martin issue will be looked at closely by the NFL Players Association in the coming weeks. NFL Media's Jeff Darlington spoke with NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith on Sunday.
"We believe our job at the NFL Players Association is to do our best to take care of all of our players," Smith said. "So we'll continue to look at the situation. I expect our players to be good men on the field and good men in the locker room."
The Dolphins could be answering questions on multiple fronts. Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald reports that a young defensive player has gone broke because of pressure to pay for older players. The veterans are using the younger players as "an ATM," according to Beasley.
Dolphins veteran Jared Odrick and rookie cornerback Will Davis both tweeted about a $30,000 dinner tab on rookie night Friday. However, Davis said Sunday, per The Miami Herald, that the bill was split. The minimum salary for rookies is $390,000.
Making the rookies pay for dinners is an NFL tradition. Many in Miami will explain these allegations with the statement: "It happens everywhere."
Perhaps that makes the entire story worth a closer examination, not something to be dismissed.
UPDATE: The league released an official statement on the situation Sunday:
"We have been in contact with the team on this matter since last week and we will conduct a thorough review."
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