Anyone else feel like this is happening before our eyes???

[Slim]

[video=youtube;vSfrbqCQr78]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSfrbqCQr78[/video]

I'm not here to defend Richie, because I don't know all the facts, nor do any of the media folks who've painted Richie as a racist/nutcase.

Let's not kid ourselves, things can very easily be taken out of context and used to make a person look much worse than they are. Examples of that are:

1. Humorous sign on his locker
2. Video of him spazing out at the bar

I want to drop my $0.02 on what I think went down. This is pure speculation and I have no evidence, but the timing seems to line up well.

1. Richie is clearly an A-Hole. No one has disputed that. But I don't think Martin was 'terrified' of him or was called out specifically by Richie. Richie is an alpha male who probably crossed the line a few times and was never confronted because Martin is an introvert.
2. This builds up over time, and Martin who clearly has other demons to deal with eventually snaps when a harmless prank, that he has been involved with before, goes awry.
3. Martin storms out of the facility likely to go see his shrink.
4. Dolphins place Martin on the non football injury list. Honestly, i think this is where things unravel. Martin doesn't get paid if he's on the NFI. And i truly believe that if the Dolphins handled this better, this story would never have broke out. Not sure if this is an Aponte boo boo...
5. Realizing that he's about to lose a ton of money, Martin and his representation (parents or otherwise) see an opportunity to flip this thing upside down and get Martin paid. Probably have no clue the story will snowball into a National debate.
6. Meanwhile, Richie being Richie, blasts Schefter & ESPN for dragging his name through the mud. Has anyone seen Schefter talk about this story? He seems angry. I feel like he's going out of his way to make this thing worse on Richie.
7. The machine takes over. TMZ, CNN, ABC, etc. all dive in and turn this into something bigger than a school shooting.
8. Dolphins players come to Richie's defense and call in question the fact that Martin never raised this internally. Which i might add is the reason why Martin will never play on this team again.

 

[mrbunglez]

I like your way of thinking. And a perfect analogy 'snowball'......

 

[SB Dreamer]

Maybe it was collusion between the two to create the situation, get Martin paid...then share bounty at some future date in the Cayman Islands.

Stranger things have happened and if we are going to speculate lets do it from all angles.:err:

 

[J. David Wannyheimer]

Don't think. Get a torch and start looking for more people to drag into the bonfire.

 

[MinnesotaFin]

Makes perfect sense minus the fact of him or his family not knowing it would become a huge thing. People love to run with the Bullying word now since we live in a pussified world.

 

[Slim]

Perhaps they didn't expect it to leak externally.

 

[Finlawyer]

4. Dolphins place Martin on the non football injury list. Honestly, i think this is where things unravel. Martin doesn't get paid if he's on the NFI. And i truly believe that if the Dolphins handled this better, this story would never have broke out. Not sure if this is an Aponte boo boo...
5. Realizing that he's about to lose a ton of money, Martin and his representation (parents or otherwise) see an opportunity to flip this thing upside down and get Martin paid. Probably have no clue the story will snowball into a National debate.

Bingo. They also told Martin he would have to repay his signing bonus and that his rights would be controlled by the phins. Martin wants to leave this team and has an incentive to dramatize the hazing into a racially motivated issue. However, did Cog haze Jerry or Pouncey. Seems the answer is no. Ross overreacted by calling Roger. Players on the OL would have either known of or participated in the alleged hazing. I do not like sticking rookies with personal expenses. That must end. But the Phins cannot be sued in court and no arbitrator would give Martin any money other than the 8 weeks left to be paid this season. I would put Martin on the PUP list and be done with it. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act does not require that the workplace resemble a Victorian parlor. Cog had no plan to hurt Martin. He wanted him to attend OTAs. Martin just does not fit in with his blue collar brothers. Philbin was told to suspend Cog. It is Cog who will file and win his grievance.