The Incognito Incident: A Character
Lesson for Coaches
written by Pete
Van Mullem, Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, ID
 This
past month we've been swamped by the media storm surrounding
the behavior of Miami Dolphin football player Richie Incognito.
In short, Jonathan Martin an NFL football player for the Miami
Dolphins left the team and checked into a hospital for emotional
distress, claiming harassment from teammate Richie Incognito.
Martin felt threatened by Incognito's approach to "toughening
him up" (Schefter, 2013). If true, the incident illustrates
harassment in the workplace and a lack of leadership by the
Miami Dolphin organization. In addition, it speaks to the
important responsibility of coaches in creating a positive
environment (i.e. team culture) in which athletes can grow
and develop while striving for success (Brown, 2003).
Obviously, the main purpose of sport at the professional
level is to win and make money. However, winning and profit-seeking
does not eliminate the ethical responsibility of the organization
and coach to provide a safe environment, where players and
coaches treat each other with respect (Simon, 2013). When
someone inflicts physical or psychological harm on another
person they are demonstrating a lack of respect for the individual
(Lumpkin, Stoll, & Beller, 2011). Intimidating someone or
bullying them is a form of emotional and psychological coercion
or hazing (Tilindiene & Gailiuniene, 2013). Regardless of
your view on the severity of Richie Incognito's actions towards
Jonathan Martin, it's tough to argue the behavior of Incognito
was anything less than hazing.
Hazing in sports is defined as, "...any potentially humiliating,
degrading, abusive, or dangerous activity which does not contribute
to the positive development of the athlete..." (Crow & MacIntosh,
2009, p. 449). The Incognito incident demonstrated all the
common signs of hazing in sports. Incognito held seniority
status over Martin, Martin exhibited signs of emotional distress,
and the language (i.e. racial slurs) Incognito verbalized
via voicemail to Martin demonstrated a lack of respect.
Richie Incognito's actions towards Jonathan Martin may be
the norm rather than a singular occurrence in NFL locker rooms
(Starr, 2013). Arguably, bullying is wrapped in the team culture,
a conscious and deliberate act in which the instigator(s)
often believe their actions are for the victim's benefit and
needed to develop toughness (Hamilton, 2013).
For a coach, having this type of culture in your locker room
should be troubling. It also reveals the importance of selecting
players that demonstrate strong character values, because
the environment created by the coach begins with the people
on the team. Legendary basketball coach John Wooden said,
"I want to run the race with those with whom I shared a code
of conduct, those who subscribed to the same set of values
that mattered to me" (Wooden & Jamison, 2005, p. 70).
In coaching, the environment you create for your team may
be the most significant task you accomplish. The culture established
within a team becomes the influential factor in motivating,
instructing, guiding, and leading athletes to achieve success
(Ronglan, 2011). For coaches, the Richie Incognito incident
reinforces the importance of evaluating personal character
when selecting a squad.
According to Super Bowl winning coach, Tony Dungy, "How you
accomplish your goals is more important in the long run than
merely getting to the top by any means possible...people are
coming to the conclusion that character has to be part of
our evaluation of performance" (Dungy & Whitaker, 2010, p.
215). Coach Dungy lived his philosophy. When Richie Incognito
was available in the 2005 NFL Draft, Tony Dungy, then the
head coach of the Indianapolis Colts had him placed on the
"DNDC" list, which means "do not draft because of character"
(Florio, 2013).
Passing on a skilled or gifted athlete based on character,
places many coaches in a conundrum. Coupled with the pressure
to win, coaching is also a helping profession and many coaches
strive to help others to make positive change in their lives.
If coaches embrace their role in influencing and impacting
the lives of their athletes (Boxill, 2013), they will likely
demonstrate empathy and compassion (Wooden & Jamison, 2005).
Therefore, when faced with a "troubled" athlete, a coach may
view his or her role as someone who can help the athlete get
back on track. Instead of viewing an athlete's character flaws
as detrimental to the team, coaches may believe it is their
role and the responsibility of the team to help the athlete
make positive change.
This willingness to assist athletes with personal or behavioral
problems is heightened when the talents and abilities of an
athlete can have significant impact on the team's success.
Established programs with a successful coach, often take risks
on "character flawed" athletes, justifying the decisions on
the ability of the team to keep the individual "in check"
(Myers, 2007). Choosing to eliminate a talented player based
on character can be a daunting task for a coach seeking to
establish a successful career or build a program. For coaches
at the interscholastic level with limited resources and potentially
low participation numbers, squad selection can be challenging.
Irrespective of the level of sport, taking on the philosophy
of helping troubled athletes can be tough balancing act. The
effort and vision required to build and develop an environment
for success can easily be compromised. Even a coach skilled
in molding character may not be immune from the potentially
negative impact on the culture of the team from one athlete
of questionable character. Is it worth the risk? Richie Incognito
has a history of incidents that may call to question his character
(Merrill, 2013). The Dolphins could have passed on Incognito
just as Tony Dungy had done. They chose not to and eventually
found themselves in a mess. The Incognito story may only be
one incident, but the lesson is clear: Choose carefully if
you want to create a positive environment for your players
to grow and develop as a team.
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