Image Source: Keith Allison, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What Was the Accusation?
Buffalo Bills offensive guard Richie Incognito faced renewed controversy in January 2018 after Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue accused him of using racist language during Jacksonville’s 10–3 victory over Buffalo in an AFC Wild Card playoff game on January 7. Several hours after the game, Ngakoue posted on Twitter that Buffalo’s No. 64, Incognito, would have to “come harder than some weak racist slurs.” Ngakoue also wrote that he was proud of his African heritage and ended the message with the hashtag #Iaintjonathanmartin, an explicit reference to Incognito’s earlier involvement in the Miami Dolphins’ Jonathan Martin bullying controversy.
Ngakoue stood by the accusation the following day but declined to repeat the exact language he said Incognito had used. He told reporters that the dispute occurred after a running play and said the remark concerned his ethnicity. Ngakoue, whose father is from Cameroon and whose mother is from the West Indies, said that ordinary football trash talk did not bother him but that comments about ethnicity crossed a line. He could not recall whether Incognito had specifically used the N-word. The allegation therefore remained an accusation about racist or ethnicity-based language rather than a publicly documented verbatim statement.
The NFL announced that it was reviewing the matter. Two Buffalo offensive linemen, Dion Dawkins and Ryan Groy, said they had not heard Incognito use a racial slur during the game. Bills general manager Brandon Beane later acknowledged that Incognito and Ngakoue had exchanged words but described the controversy as involving a possible misunderstanding over what had been said. The allegation attracted particular attention because an independent NFL investigation into the Dolphins’ 2013 workplace-bullying scandal had previously found that Incognito and other Miami players engaged in persistent harassment of Jonathan Martin and another offensive lineman, including racially offensive language. Incognito’s representatives had disputed portions of that earlier investigative report.
Incognito and Ngakoue were later selected as AFC teammates for the Pro Bowl in Orlando. On January 24, Ngakoue confirmed that the two men had spoken before practice and said he wanted to move forward rather than publicly discuss the details of their conversation. The following day, Incognito told Peter King of The MMQB that he had approached Ngakoue in the locker room and apologized for his part in the confrontation. Incognito said they shook hands and hugged afterward. He continued to withhold the exact words exchanged during the playoff game, describing the incident as something that had occurred between two players in the setting of a football game. He also said the encounter reminded him of the power of words and expressed hope that the matter could be put to rest. ESPN reported in May 2018 that the NFL investigation was still open and that the league had not announced a final resolution.
Richie Incognito’s statement to ESPN reporters on January 25, 2018 – Excerpts:
“What happened on the field that day is an exchange between two men in the setting of a football game. We’re gonna keep it between us. Out of peace and armistice, we are just going to keep it between us.”
“I do think it’s dead. I hope it can be put to bed.”
Richie Incognito’s January 25, 2018 interview with Peter King of The MMQB – Excerpt:
“I saw him in the locker room, went up to him, said, ‘Good to finally meet you,’ I apologized for my part in this, and I said I hope we can get a drink here and I can get to know you better. He was cool. We shook hands and hugged it out.”
Related Apologia Cases
Readers interested in this sports apologia case may also want to review:
