Richie Incognito admits he earned every bit of his reputation for being a dirty player. But the Miami Dolphins guard says he's a reformed man.
"It's a label that has been with me since I was a younger player, when I quite frankly did play dirty and I would go after guys," Incognito said Monday, via The Associated Press. "The first couple of years in St. Louis, I was playing frustrated football. I wasn't mature enough to handle the situations we were in. We were doing a lot of losing.
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"So I think back then the tag was deserved. I have evolved, and I think that label still sticks. Once you're labeled with it, it's very hard to shake."
Incognito played with the St. Louis Rams for most of five seasons before joining the Dolphins in 2010. Texans defensive lineman Antonio Smith lit into Incognito after Houston's 30-10 win over Miami for what he perceived to be dirty play.
"There was a lot of whining going on out there, and it went to the refs, and then the whining continued to the media after the game," Incognito said.
It's worth mentioning that Texans coach Gary Kubiak went through the game film and said he didn't see anything out of line on Incognito's part. Then again, watching gametape is different than being at the bottom of a pile.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
