Offensive linemen have to be tough and aggressive while playing on the front lines of a football team.
The objective for these behemoths is to bully the defensive player across from them in an attempt to move them out of the way for their offensive playmakers.
Of course, when the game ends, the bullying should stop, regardless of what level the game is played at.
That wasn’t the case for Richie Incognito.
Although he played as a Pro Bowl offensive guard in the NFL for four teams in a 15-year career, Incognito is best known for his harassment of a teammate while playing for the Miami Dolphins.
Getting Richie Incognito flashbacks with this BattleHawks offensive line performance today. pic.twitter.com/I2peEOGwEE
— St. Louis Rams History (@STLRamsHistory) February 19, 2023
When the severity of the harassment reached the light of day, the NFL got involved, Incognito was suspended, and the teammate left Miami.
Despite the public backlash from his behavior, Incognito continued to play in the NFL for another six seasons.
He also made headlines a few more times for bizarre incidents where he verbally and physically threatened people.
What made his behavior even more vexing at the time was the fact that he had been recently named as an ambassador for an anti-bullying non-profit company.
This is the troubling story of Richie Incognito.
Talented Prep Athlete
Richard Dominik Incognito Jr. was born on July 5, 1983, in Englewood, New Jersey.
Happy birthday to former Raiders G Richie Incognito, July 5, 1983. pic.twitter.com/KrI3x5OsGE
— AFL Godfather 🏴☠️👓🏈🔥 (@NFLMAVERICK) July 5, 2024
Before Richie reached middle school, the Incognito family moved to Glendale, Arizona.
A few years later, he began playing football as a student at Mountain Ridge High School.
As a member of the Mountain Lions, Incognito played on both sides of the ball as a lineman and also handled long-snapping duties.
The more he grew in size, the more talented Incognito became.
By the time he was wrapping up his senior year of high school, Incognito was recognized as one of the best offensive linemen in the nation.
Among the awards he received included the Frank Kush Award for the best offensive lineman in Arizona, a first-team All-state selection from the Arizona Republic newspaper, a finalist for the Arizona Player-of-the-Year Award, and a second-team nod for the Long Beach (California) Press-Telegram’s “Best in the West” list.
Incognito not only thrived as a football great, but he also lettered for Mountain Ridge in weight lifting and as a shot putter for the track team.
After sifting through a huge pile of recruiting letters from colleges, Incognito chose to attend the University of Nebraska.
Obvious Skill
Incognito arrived in 2001 to play for the Cornhuskers and head coach Frank Solich.
He redshirted as a freshman, then became the first freshman in the history of the school to start in the season opener against Arizona State in 2002.
Furthermore, Incognito was only the third lineman in program history to start a game during his freshman year.
The #NBNR Countdown to Kickoff: just Dan Schmidt, Kerry Weinmaster, Matt Vrzal, and Richie Incognito days until Husker Football‼️ #GBR🌽🏈#Nebraska #Huskers #51Days #BEATminnesota @HurrdatSports pic.twitter.com/bysjfc1amf
— No Block💥No Rockᴺᴮᴺᴿ (@NBNRPodcast) July 11, 2023
The Husker coaching staff put Incognito at left tackle and he thrived at the position.
During the ‘02 season, Incognito “pancaked” opponents a whopping 171 times, good for the second-most single-season total in Nebraska history.
Although the Corn Huskers went 7-7 and lost to Ole Miss in the Independence Bowl, Incognito earned first-team All-Big 12 and first-team freshman All-American honors by three media publications.
A Troubling Trend Begins
Unfortunately, while Incognito’s talent was hard to ignore, so was his behavior.
While establishing himself as a starting lineman, Incognito took opportunities to display his dominance with disturbing behavior.
Richie Incognito retires after 15 year NFL career. https://t.co/FgN2AQziom #Huskers pic.twitter.com/YQV2Bj4lDo
— 𝙷𝚞𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚛𝙼𝚊𝚡 (@Huskermax) July 15, 2022
Not long after the 2002 season began, Incognito took a cheap shot on fellow Nebraska lineman Jack Limbaugh during a practice.
Limbaugh got so angry that he left the field.
“Richie was a guy who came in with all the talent in the world, and Jack was an easy mark for a guy like Richie, who came across as a bully,” said former teammate David Kolowski. “Jack was a walk-on just trying to make the team. There was a bit of that kind of bullying with Jack. He didn’t appreciate it, but in that culture, you don’t run and cry to the coaches.”
Then, during the ‘02 season, Incognito was accused of spitting on a Troy State player on August 31 and was ejected for fighting against Penn State on September 14.
Late in the year, Incognito was guilty of a personal foul penalty in the fourth quarter against Colorado that helped lead to a 28-13 loss.
More Bad Behavior
The 2003 football season wasn’t much different for Incognito.
He thrived during competition and started 13 games for the Huskers.
At season’s end, Incognito was honored as a first-team All-Big 12 member by the Associated Press.
Richie Incognito pic.twitter.com/mFimF1sdUx
— Random Huskers (@RandomHuskers) January 5, 2023
However, before the year started, he got into a fight with teammates during spring ball and Solich suspended Incognito indefinitely.
Because of Incognito’s trend of poor behavior, Solich and his staff sent him to a special clinic in Kansas to work on his anger management.
Although there were highlights for Incognito during the season, he was accused of spitting on Michigan State players during Nebraska’s 17-3 victory against the Spartans in the Alamo Bowl.
Incognito Leaves Nebraska
Before the 2004 college season began, Solich was fired and former NFL head coach Bill Callahan was hired to lead the Huskers.
In February, Incognito attended a party, got into a fight, and was charged with misdemeanor assault.
Callahan moved Incognito to center, and before playing a down at the position, he was on several pre-season watch lists as potentially the best center in college football.
He never got the opportunity.
On September 1, only three days before Nebraska opened its season against Western Illinois, Callahan suspended Incognito for repeatedly breaking team rules.
“Unfortunately yesterday I had to indefinitely suspend Richie Incognito for repeated violations of team rules,” Callahan said. “It’s unfortunate, but our team is moving onwards and getting ready for Western Illinois. It’s unfortunate, but as I said yesterday it’s a privilege to play football at the University of Nebraska and it’s not a right. We have team rules and they are very simple to follow. If they are not followed and they are not complied to you suffer the consequences.”
Adding injury to insult, Incognito got into a locker room fight during his suspension.
Days later, he withdrew and left Nebraska for good.
A Second Chance Ends Before It Begins
When reached by the media, Incognito was vague about what he was going to do next.
“Right now nothing is for sure,” Incognito said. “I don’t want to put anything in jeopardy by saying something. I’ll say something about this eventually.”
Despite his bad-boy reputation, former Cornhusker teammates believed Incognito would land on his feet.
“I guarantee you’ll hear from Richie Incognito again,” said former Nebraska offensive lineman Tim Green, a friend of Incognito. “Whether it’s in college or the NFL, you haven’t heard the last of Richie. The kid is an athlete and somebody will pick him up.”
Sure enough, then-University of Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti reached out and Incognito became a Duck.
During their first meeting together, Bellotti gave Incognito a set of conditions to abide by as a member of the team.
Those conditions were iron-clad and Incognito agreed to them.
One week later, he broke his promise and Incognito was released from the team.
“There were conditions we had set down and set forth for him to be admitted to our program, and they were not met,” Bellotti told The Oregonian.
Incognito then sought other opportunities to play college ball but was not picked up by any other school.
Third Round Pick
With no other college football playing options, Incognito entered his name for the 2005 NFL Draft.
Because of his frequent poor behavior at Nebraska, many NFL teams had no intention of drafting him.
Then-Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy said years later that Incognito was listed as a DNDC athlete.
When asked what DNDC meant, Dungy replied, “Do not draft because of character.”
Scott Pioli, who was the vice president of player personnel for the New England Patriots at the time, felt the same way.
“I didn’t want him coming out [of college], and I don’t want him now,” Pioli said in 2013 when he was a member of the media.
The St. Louis Rams, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care about the baggage Incognito carried.
All-Time Rams by uniform number.
#68. Richie Incognito. Guard. 2006-2009. pic.twitter.com/13GGP8aUkx
— Rams Rewind (@RewindRams) July 30, 2020
Despite the fact that he injured his knee in the 2005 NFL Combine, the Rams took Incognito with the 81st overall pick in the third round of the draft.
Consistent Producer for St. Louis
Because of his injury at the Combine, Incognito was on the NFL’s non-football injury list for the entire 2005 season.
In 2006, he found work at three different positions on the Rams offensive line and started all 16 games.
Pulling Guard Richie Incognito cleared way for Steven Jackson to have his career long run (2006). Incognito retired today after a long 14 year career. Polarizing from the jump in St. Louis and of course the controversy in Miami, but a guy who always had talent and a mean streak pic.twitter.com/J1VCElNDn5
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) July 15, 2022
Although Incognito blocked for talented offensive players such as quarterback Marc Bulger and running back Steven Jackson, the team went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
Injuries limited Incognito to only four games in 2007 before rebounding to start 15 games at right guard for St. Louis.
The Rams Release Incognito
There was no doubt that Incognito could play well at the professional level.
Unfortunately, there was also no doubt that he couldn’t quite shake his demons.
In 2008, Incognito was fined no less than three times for his behavior during a Week 6 game against Washington.
Two of his infractions included a chop block and berating an official.
Incognito started the first nine games of the 2009 season for the Rams, and during a Week 1 game against Seattle, was guilty of two personal fouls.
Then, in a Week 14 game against the Tennessee Titans, Incognito got himself into even more trouble.
During the first half of the contest, he head-butted two Titans players and was assessed two 15-yard penalties.
Steve Spagnuolo, the Rams head coach, took Incognito out of the game and sat him on the bench for the second half.
He was then spotted arguing with Spagnuolo.
Just two days later, St. Louis cut Incognito.
The decision by the club was justified because of Incognito’s repeated poor behavior which included 38 penalties and seven personal fouls as a Ram.
The latter mark led the NFL.
Happy Birthday Richie Incognito, Buffalo Bills playoff drought-busting guard 2009 and 2015-2017! Born #OTD in 1983. pic.twitter.com/J4j7PcaNDH
— ThisDateInBuffaloSportsHistory (@BuffSportsHstry) July 5, 2020
Three days later, the Buffalo Bills claimed him off waivers and Incognito started three games.
After the season, the Bills released him.
Miami Signs Incognito
Good offensive linemen are hard to find in the NFL.
The Miami Dolphins may not have liked Incognito’s behavior, but the team needed a veteran guard and signed him in March 2010.
For the next three years, Incognito was anchored to the left guard spot and only missed one game.
VIDEO: Jared Odrick recalls the time Richie Incognito fought a rookie in the Dolphins' locker room https://t.co/1dKPKm4UPA pic.twitter.com/ixmqP6gKqW
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) March 16, 2017
Following the 2012 season, Incognito was recognized for his solid play by getting voted to his first Pro Bowl.
Surprisingly, he was also honored, alongside running back Reggie Bush, his teammate, for receiving the 2012 “Good Guy Award.”
The award is given by the Pro Football Writer’s Association (PFWA) in every NFL city to the player on each team who helps the media do their job.
Incognito Accused of Bullying Martin
In the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Dolphins selected Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin.
He played primarily at right tackle as a rookie and struggled.
The following year, Martin was moved to left tackle and continued to play poorly.
Miami moved him back to right tackle, which was a move Martin wasn’t particularly fond of.
Then, just before a Week 9 contest against Cincinnati, Martin left Dolphins headquarters, telling coaches he was leaving for “emotional” reasons.
Days later, word began to spread around the league that Martin had been bullied by several members of the Dolphins, including Incognito, who was said to be the primary instigator.
By November 3, it was learned that Incognito had sent Martin a large volume of texts and voicemails over the previous year that were threatening against Martin and his family.
As Richie Incognito gets shown on the screen, let’s all remember the voicemail he left Jonathan Martin. pic.twitter.com/CbUFq8e2QS
— Qubert Davis (@quise_piece) September 14, 2021
The Dolphins initially viewed the information as speculation.
Nevertheless, when the NFL got involved, and the texts and voicemails Incognito left were investigated, Miami suspended Incognito.
“We reached out to the NFL to conduct an objective and thorough review,” the team said in a statement. “We will continue to work with the league on this matter.”
Suspended
Months later, Ted Wells, an attorney the NFL hired to investigate the matter further, released his findings.
Included in the document were the details of the texts and voicemails left by Incognito and evidence that Incognito, center Mike Pouncey, and guard John Jerry harassed Incognito to “toughen him up.”
It was further revealed that the trio bullied another Dolphins lineman and a team trainer.
Incognito attempted to downplay the incidents by explaining that his communication with Martin was in jest and that the two always communicated in that manner.
Former Dolphins tackle Lydon Murtha wrote an article for Sports Illustrated in November 2013 explaining his take on the incidents.
In the article, Murtha wrote that Incognito was a strong leader on the team who expected the best out of his teammates.
According to Murtha, Incognito didn’t just get after Martin, he laid into anyone he felt wasn’t giving 100%
“He was a leader on the team, and he would get in your face if you were unprepared or playing poorly. The crap he would give Martin was no more than he gave anyone else, including me. Other players said the same things Incognito said to Martin, so you’d need to suspend the whole team if you suspend Incognito,” said Murtha.
Murtha elaborated that he didn’t think Incognito bullied Martin.
The NFL and the Dolphins disagreed and the lineman remained suspended until February 2014.
Second Chance With Buffalo
For a while, it looked like Incognito’s NFL career was finished and he did not play in 2014.
THIS JUST IN: Bills and Richie Incognito agree in principle to a one-year deal. pic.twitter.com/UiezqJN5lT
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 7, 2015
In February 2015, the Buffalo Bills announced that they were signing Incognito.
“Obviously, we all discussed Richie’s past experience in the NCAA and NFL,” team owner Terry Pegula said. “We are convinced that Richie is prepared to move forward and has and will continue to take the necessary steps to improve himself as a person and a teammate. Following discussion with the rest of the coaching staff, we as an organization will provide him with the opportunity to do so.”
Later, in a rather cringe-worthy statement, then-Bills head coach Rex Ryan said he signed Incognito to “build a bully” in Buffalo.
Incognito started 16 games for the Bills in 2015 and played so well that he was selected for his second Pro Bowl.
More accolades continued in 2016 when he was chosen for his third Pro Bowl.
“I’m very cognizant of the fact this is a second chance, an opportunity to rewrite the narrative, even understanding that some people won’t get past 2013 when it comes to me,” Incognito said. “That’ll be in their head forever and there’s nothing I can do to change that. I can only control what I do from here on out, and that is show up each day, work hard, and be a good person and a good teammate. I’m aware of the fact that everything I say and do is being watched and everything I say and do could be a national headline.”
Incognito Retires
In 2017, Incognito continued to play good football and started all 16 games for the third season in a row.
He was also selected to the Pro Bowl for the third year in a row.
Then, 24 hours after the Bills season ended in the wild-card round to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Yannick Ngakoue, a defensive end for the Jags, accused Incognito of using racial slurs at him during the game.
Jaguars DE Yannick Ngakoue appears to accuse Bills OL Richie Incognito of using racial slurs during today's game pic.twitter.com/rOZbEKPuhV
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 8, 2018
While the NFL was investigating the matter, Incognito announced that he would be retiring for health reasons.
A few months later, he decided to continue playing, but he no longer wanted to play for Buffalo and asked the team to release him.
Incognito Threatens Funeral Home Employees
While Incognito was looking for work, he was selected in July 2018 as a national ambassador for an anti-bullying non-profit called Boo2bullying.
It was an odd choice because only two months earlier Incognito was arrested for throwing weights and tennis balls at people in a gym in Boca Raton, Florida.
He was arrested yet again for an unsettling incident at a funeral home in Scottsdale, Arizona, in August.
Incognito was at the business to make funeral arrangements for his father.
During the visit, Incognito alarmed employees when he said he wanted his father’s head cut off and used for research.
Richie Incognito wanted to cut off his dead father’s head at funeral home before arrest https://t.co/mfdmYUBLS0 pic.twitter.com/XVX0v7BnKZ
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) August 23, 2018
Incognito then threatened the employees of the funeral home with violence.
“He made a gesture and said he was going to kill somebody here and said he had guns in his truck,” the employee who alerted police to the disturbance told the dispatcher. “We are just very afraid right now.”
When police arrived, they found an arsenal of weaponry in Incognito’s truck.
Police then charged him with disorderly conduct.
Incognito Becomes a Raider
As if on cue, the Oakland Raiders, known for their history of signing castoffs and players with questionable behavior, signed Incognito in May 2019.
We have signed free agent G Richie Incognito: https://t.co/TyDRUFsh1B pic.twitter.com/WsWOlCuJqY
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) May 28, 2019
When general manager Mike Mayock was questioned about the signing, he defended himself and the franchise.
“We’ve done a lot of homework on him, OK? I’ve known some of the line coaches he’s played for, I’ve called several people around the league,” Mayock said. “I feel comfortable that he’s going to compete on the field and I feel comfortable that: A) he wants to compete off the field, and we’re going to provide the infrastructure for him so at the end of the day I think it’s a two-way street. We got to help him help himself.”
Incognito started 12 times for the Raiders in 2019.
He then followed the team to their new home in Las Vegas in 2020 but only started two contests that year due to Achilles and foot injuries.
Incognito Retires For Good
Following the 2020 season, Incognito was with the Raiders in 2021 but didn’t play due to a calf strain.
Richie Incognito officially retires as a @Raiders pic.twitter.com/OGMcQiCMTF
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) July 15, 2022
With his best days clearly behind him, Incognito announced his retirement for good on July 15, 2022.
“After stepping away from football in 2018, I knew if I came back, it’d be to finish out my career on my terms, it also had to be with the right team,” Incognito said during his farewell press conference. “It felt like home the minute I got here.”
During his career, Incognito was a four-time Pro Bowler and started in 164 games with four different teams.
Life Since Retiring
Since retiring in 2022, Incognito has lived in Arizona and California.
As of August 2024, he was finishing coursework at Arizona State University and spending as much time as possible on the golf course.
Richie Incognito stops by training camp to coach up next group of linemen 😎https://t.co/QaNNI2xw80
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 6, 2024
Incognito has also spent time with the Raiders in Las Vegas and head coach Antonio Pierce has called him a valuable mentor to the team.
“You add Richie Incognito in there and you lit up the fire there,” Pierce said. “I told him whenever he can come out to come on [to practice]. He’s done a really good job of mentoring these guys. Just getting the mindset right. Understanding what an O-line plays like, what is it like to play O-line for the Raiders.”
For his part, Incognito may have found his next career path.
“It’s really important that the guys on the team see my relationships with the leaders on the team,” Incognito said. “That lets all the other guys on the team know that you can trust me and that I’m one of them. I think that me being around and having had my hand in the dirt with these guys and now coming back and mentoring them and being around the guys, it just carries that much more weight. These guys can trust me, they know I’m all about getting them better and just doing it for the love of the game.”
References
https://www.si.com/nfl/2013/11/07/richie-incognito-jonathan-martin-dolphins-lydon-murtha
https://proxy.espn.com/nfldraft/wireless/html/player?id=9109
https://nebraska.rivals.com/news/incognitos-husker-career-may-be-over
https://www.nfl.com/news/raiders-sign-guard-richie-incognito-to-1-year-deal-0ap3000001032077
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/pac10/2004-10-05-oregon-incognito_x.htm
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2004-09-15-roundup_x.htm
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/tony-dungy-scott-pioli-say-richie-incognito-was-off-draft-boards/
https://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/us/nfl-martin-incognito-5-questions/index.html
https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=3649168
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1838248-controversy-at-every-turn-the-career-of-richie-incognito
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/I/IncoRi20.htm
https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-sign-richie-incognito-to-one-year-contract-0ap3000000469310
https://www.si.com/nfl/2016/06/02/richie-incognito-buffalo-bills-dolphins-bullying-scandal
NEXT: The Life And Career Of Ricky Proehl (Story)
