That’s not a fake news headline. It’s just a representation of where we are as a people in 2018.
Free agent offensive lineman Richie Incognito has just been named a national ambassador for Boo2Bullying, a group founded in 2011. The non-profit group’s mission is “outreach, education, mentoring, inspiration and support for our youth and their families.”
Should we inform them of the obvious?
Incognito was the central figure in a 2013 bullying scandal with the Miami Dolphins that involved teammate Jonathan Martin. The NFL ultimately concluded that the veteran guard engaged in a “pattern of harassment” before the Dolphins themselves suspended Incognito. The team ultimately moved on from him.
The volatile figure has also been in the news for off-field reasons since, including an abrupt retirement announced on social media and some other strange activities. Most recently, the NFL opened an investigation into allegations that Incognito directed a racial slur in the direction of a Jacksonville Jaguars player during the playoffs this past January.
In confirming his appointment as ambassador, Incognito focused on a past that included himself being bullied.
“A group of guys actually threw rocks at me,” he said. “My dad told me not to worry and to focus on football,” he said, via ESPN. “So I grinded, and at this point I was really starting to excel. After a few weeks of not letting it bother me, I actually became friends with the guys that bullied me.”
Maybe, Incognito has overcome his bullying ways. If so, he could give a fresh take on the epidemic that continues to plague this nation. One can only hope so.