Let's not beat around the bush. The situation revealed in the independent investigation of the Miami Dolphins' locker room is unacceptable. Independent counsel Ted Wells' report reveals that due to what is at the very least gross nonfeasance by head coach Joe Philbin, a culture was fostered in which the bullying Jonathan Martin suffered at the hands of Richie Incognito was SOP. The only acceptable course of action for Dolphins owner Steve Ross is a root-and-branch housecleaning. And if Ross isn't willing to do it. commissioner Roger Goodell and the league office must do it for him. For those who missed the report, read it here.
Two things about this report are particularly outrageous. One is that offensive line coach Jim Turner, one of the people who should have stopped this nonsense right away, not only failed to do so but actually encouraged it. The report reveals that Turner took part in Incognito's taunting of another lineman--since revealed to be Andrew McDonald, now with my team, the Carolina Panthers--amid rumors that he was gay. He even went as far as to give McDonald a male blow-up doll for Christmas while the other linemen got female dolls. While Turner's failure to stop the bullying of Martin is by itself a firing offense, his role in McDonald's taunting removes any doubt. At just about any other level of football, an assistant coach who takes part in this kind of taunting would be gone yesterday. And Philbin has to go for this alone. The standard NFL head coach's contract explicitly requires the head coach to supervise his assistants. That's the main reason Sean Payton sat out the 2012 season in the wake of the Bountygate scandal.
The second is that Incognito had no business being on the team to start with. According to a police report, Incognito harassed a female volunteer at the Dolphins' celebrity golf tourney in 2012. And despite this, he started every game in 2012. This was Philbin's first test as a head coach--and he failed it miserably. On just about any other team, a player who engaged in this behavior would have been suspended and told that a repeat occurrence would result in him being released. Given Incognito's history of bad behavior (dating back to his days at Nebraska), the Dolphins should have released him on the spot--do not pass "Go," do not collect $200. It also turns out that Incognito held mandatory meetings for the O-line at a strip club. Philbin had to have known about this--and yet, did nothing.
Based on this evidence, Incognito must be released and Philbin must be fired with his entire staff. Additionally, anyone who was in on this bullying must sit out at least two games during the 2014 season, with Incognito's accomplices, Mike Pouncey and John Jerry, being gone for at least four games. If Ross doesn't step up, Goodell needs to do it for him.