I put this on my facebook wall originally, and it got some great dialogue started, so I am reposting here. Thoughts, comments, and criticism are very welcome!
How can a group of men, like the Miami Dolphins, possibly
support a bully and a thug like Ritchie Incognito and exile a smart, thoughtful
and quiet guy like Jonathan Martin? The
other players on the Dolphins have almost to a man come out in support of
Incognito. The coaching staff issued a “gag”
order to the team and they still took every opportunity presented to them to
express their support of that racist thug Incognito. How does something like that happen? I have thought about this the last couple of
days and I know the answer to that question.
Many of you who will read this will too.
If you have ever been in combat you will know the answer to this
question. Do the other players dislike
Martin because he was quiet? Because he didn’t
fit in? Maybe because he didn’t like to
carouse as much as the other guys?
Nope. None of the above. The reason the other players have turned on
Martin is they feel they cannot trust him to have their back when it
counts. When the game is on the line is
he going to fold or come up big? His
teammates felt it was the latter. And
that is where we find the same thing in the Army. I have had all manner of weirdoes in my units
over 24 years, and as long as a guy could be counted on in combat, he was
accepted. If he was a solid citizen when
the bullets were flying, he was ok with the group. I have known some deviant, socially awkward,
crackpots over 24 years of service. In
the end nobody cared as long as the guy was dependable when it counted. I have seen some of the most fun, well liked,
and engaging people in the Army be shunned by their peers if they turned into a
dirt bag when it matters. If you have
been on the gridiron or the battlefield you have known a Ritchie
Incognito. He was the guy that would do
some stupid crap and the other guys would go “well, that’s Ritchie. He is an idiot, but he is our idiot”. Why do you think the African-American players
are sticking up for a guy that used a racial slur? Have you ever seen Full Metal Jacket? Remember Animal Mother, the guy who used
every slur in the book but was nails when it mattered? That movie captured the Ritchie Incognito
story better than any reporter or taking head has so far. Stanley Kubrick gets it. If you have ever gone to war with other men
you depended on, you get it. Do we
condone their behavior? Not really, but
we want then on our side when it matters.
Bullying is a sad and disgusting thing.
There is no place for it in normal society. Combat is not normal society. A football locker room is not normal
society. I feel bad for Jonathan Martin,
but when his teammates turned on him it told me volumes about what was really
going on. If you have seen the TMZ video
of Incognito drunk and in public you know the guy is a total tool and an
idiot. Think about it though, every unit
you have been in has had a Ritchie Incognito, a guy that we put up with for one
reason only: he was going to help keep us alive when it mattered.
Here is the link to the story I based some of my statements off of:
