Miami Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin on the sidelines of a game, Dec. 16, 2012.
Miami Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross plans to meet player Jonathan Martin on Wednesday over allegations he was harassed by teammates, the Associated Press reports.
“I’d like to hear from him what had happened, why he felt that way and what we did and what we could have done to prevent something like this from happening. I want to hear the circumstances, the facts,” Ross said.
“We need to look at ourselves. We have to examine everything internally. This is so appalling to me … I want to get everybody’s feedback because we all know the football locker room is a different workplace than most of us are accustomed to.”
Martin left the Dolphins on Oct. 28. His lawyer claimed the player suffered daily bullying and hazing by teammates, and a veteran guard Richie Incognito has admitted to leaving a threatening voicemail for Martin in April. The scandal escalated after teammates appeared to express more support for Incognito than Martin, a second-year tackle.
The team’s owner said he was appalled by the voicemail. “I didn’t realize people would talk or text or speak that way to people.”
Martin is undergoing counseling while the NFL investigates the allegations. The Dolphins have suspended Incognito indefinitely.
[AP]