Unfortunately these days, one wonders if the Dolphins might need a better handle on their news and sources given the turn of events in the Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin saga.
On the Tuesday prior to the Super Bowl with the announcement of new GM Dennis Hickey, owner Stephen Ross let it be known that Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito would not be back with Miami.
First, Stephen Ross said this statement with conviction and then recanted upon receiving a whisper nearby saying that he can't say that and he apologized. Stephen Ross was correct at least about Richie Incognito since the Dolphins have essentially now, released him from his suspension, roster, and now a free agent. In a sense, Ross was partly true since Richie Incognito's season was over with Miami and free to explore the market in March.
Which brings us to this crescendo of sorts where the Dolphins who are trying to do the right thing, don't have a handle on their image, their public relations with the media, and lastly more "he said-he said" between Incognito and Martin.
What we do know, is that Incognito and Martin were good friends. They carpooled to games together and they would spend time hanging out and enjoying the Miami night life.
At this point, one has to wonder what sources are telling national reporters such as Ian Rappaport who divulged earlier that the Dolphins were in talks about possibly keeping Jonathan Martin. To his credit, Martin was never suspended, but did miss several games with an "illness" at the time. Some say that this illness was a result of the Dolphins front office moves essentially removing Martin from the starting lineup in favor of Bryant McKinnie. One could surmise that it's possible Martin's lack of understanding why he was being shifted on the line, led to him to essentially have a nervous breakdwon, throw his lunch tray down and leave for the nearest exit.
At this point, the Miami Dolphins have their work cut out for them especially when they don't have a handle on what Richie Incognito does to make them and the team look worse. The Dolphins look as dysfuctional as when the story broke on November 3rd and still look just as bad as when the season ended.
When can the Dolphins publicly admit they made mistakes in handling this issue? Proabably never and not unless Ted Wells' report reveals what we've all thought, there are major problems in Miami.
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