The Redemption of Jonathan Martin

[Juice]

It is a tough crowd, isn't it. I liked the fact that Martin is at least trying to make a positive influence in the lives of young people. Whether he was ready for the NFL, Incognito continuing to be, well, Incognito, or it was the coaching staffs fault, he is doing the right thing in his spare time. If he touches one kid and changes his life for the better, it's way worth it, and the read.
It doesn't have anything to do with the Rams, and, to be quite honest, I don't care if Martin makes it back. However, I think it's refreshing that positive stories are out there. Thanks for the post.
By the way, calling Martin a "wuss"( which could be true) and telling him to "man up"( which he might have needed to at one time or another) is the exact type of behavior that could have facilitated any part of his depression. Bottom line though, I am not going to call a 300 lbs ex NFL lineman a wuss to his face, and Idon't think anybody else on here would either.

 

[LesBaker]

I'm frankly amazed at the number of people essentially sticking up for what Incognito did and for what he was.

Especially when if you listen to him talk about it, the very little he has, he has his own set of regrets about the entire situation and how it unfolded.

Toughness and balls and the fact that he is 300 pounds have nothing to do with it. If you think that then you either didn't really pay attention to what happened or just don't care. That wasn't what the issue was. He wasn't afraid, he was sick and tired.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

The amazing thing to me is that all of this is illegal in today's workplace, and yes, the NFL locker room is a workplace. i don't know how they get away with assigning an employee to bully another of their employees without getting eyeball deep in crap from the government!
I'd get locked up if I let this happen to my employees.

Totally agree and I figure NFL damage control tried to downplay that end of the story and focus on the player. When I first heard about it I figured it was big trouble for Miami's coaches.

 

[SteveBrown]

Mr. Martin is a great man, but not great NFL player. I love Cogs as a Guard and Center, always, and wanted him to come back to Rams---I cheer for football players, not who they are after hours.

NFL Football is about what Cogs is....And Martin is a very intelligent guy with a O line body, but it takes a lot more than a athleticism and power to make it in the NFL.....the NFL is made for people like Jack Reynolds (smart and tough), Ronnie Lott (very tough), not Martin (smart and a great human being). To collect a paycheck you have to take someone's lunch, that wasn't Martin's game. People who assume they will be be respected will never be respected in the NFL---kill or be killed, this ain't college.....Mr. Martin is a great man, not a man who can deal with the fools like Cogs. Cogs cleaned up, I think, but down deep he is about 15 years old....sorta like me!

 

[LumberTubs]

I am not talking from any personal experience (thankfully) so may not be qualified to say it but mental health issues, no matter how minor or severe they may be, don't care how much the person weighs, how much they earn or what profession they choose to pursue. If someone has a mental health issue (which this sounds like it might be) then they can't simply "man up" or "grow a pair." I'm glad that Martin has found some peace and is trying to do something positive.

On the flip side, I actually think Incognito has earned the right to continue playing and I wish him all the luck in the world and if I'm going to make allowances for Martin's personality then allowances have to be made for Incognito's too. He clearly has issues as well and appears to have overcome them to some degree. The Miami coaching staff ought to have been fired out of a cannon into the Atlantic Ocean for the way they dealt with that situation.

 

[LesBaker]

I am not talking from any personal experience (thankfully) so may not be qualified to say it but mental health issues, no matter how minor or severe they may be, don't care how much the person weighs, how much they earn or what profession they choose to pursue. If someone has a mental health issue (which this sounds like it might be) then they can't simply "man up" or "grow a pair." I'm glad that Martin has found some peace and is trying to do something positive.

On the flip side, I actually think Incognito has earned the right to continue playing and I wish him all the luck in the world and if I'm going to make allowances for Martin's personality then allowances have to be made for Incognito's too. He clearly has issues as well and appears to have overcome them to some degree. The Miami coaching staff ought to have been fired out of a cannon into the Atlantic Ocean for the way they dealt with that situation.

Well done, that's a perfect summation of how so many of us feel.

 

[Mojo Ram]

:coach: Well don't worry Jonathan, If you're an American and you're depressed or can't sleep, can't shit right,
can't get a hard-on, can't take the stress, can't defend yourself, can't fall in love, can't lose weight, can't bend over to pick up the remote control, can't remember what you had for lunch the day before.....there's a custom-made disorder just for you that you can get magical medication for (just watch TV and you'll learn all about what you need)....and don't worry about those side-effects because there's always another med to fix that for ya. Just go see your trusted doctor.

/soapbox

 

[LACHAMP46]

My only problem with Martin is, he tried to take Richie out of the league, for being Richie. He faked like he was his friend for two years, then comes out with he's bullying me...And look, now the Bills figured out, Richie aint so bad...Different, but not a monster.
Martin isn't any different than a lot of young men from privileged upbringings...he is searching for where he "fits in".....And the closer he gets to the entertainment world, the better he'll feel....I can see how many would be upset listening to a 6'5, 300+ lbs man crying about someones bothering him....It's like he must have grown up in a plastic bubble....Kids are cruel sometimes...no filter...How he didn't toughen up is truly surprising. He must have been sheltered. It must be nice.
To really earn some respect, he needs to at least return to the NFL, shut his mouth, work hard, and give the league 3-5 years....I don't believe he's hurt one bit...

 

[Prime Time]

He faked like he was his friend for two years, then comes out with he's bullying me.

I worked for a machine shop for 5 years back in the 80's. One of my co-workers was a Filipino. We worked side-by-side all those years and as often happens between men, there were raunchy comments made. Over that time I lent him money and sometimes gave him a ride to work and home again when his car broke down. If not close friends, we were at least associates.

One day I get called into my bosses office and this man is sitting there. What's going on? I'm being accused of being a bully and a racist. I'll never forget how stunned and hurt I was by these false accusations. Here is someone I helped and trusted in for years and he had turned on me.

After threatening to sue both of them and the company, the matter was dropped. But it did great damage to my ability to trust my fellow human beings. Less than a year later the company was swallowed up by a bigger company back East and we were all laid off.

 

[LACHAMP46]

But it did great damage to my ability to trust my fellow human beings.

PT when I heard parts of the Martin story, I immediately thought of how this guy got into the circle, then after several months, starts taking guys down...You state exactly what I'm talking about....I'm beyond upset that he's now cashing in on the country's pity party....bullied huh? mental issues huh? yeah right....humans are funny...by the time you figure them out you're almost dead, and no one will listen to you...LOL

 

[Prime Time]

PT when I heard parts of the Martin story, I immediately thought of how this guy got into the circle, then after several months, starts taking guys down...You state exactly what I'm talking about....I'm beyond upset that he's now cashing in on the country's pity party....bullied huh? mental issues huh? yeah right....humans are funny...by the time you figure them out you're almost dead, and no one will listen to you...LOL

20 or 30 years ago he would have been laughed out of the league. In today's pc society where everyone with an axe to grind gets pity, this becomes a major story.

I remember working for a huge electronics company back in the 70's where about 75% of the employees were women. Men would slap their butts as they walked by and say all sorts of raunchy things. Today men like that would get fired and possibly face a lawsuit. That should never have been allowed to go on in the first place and it's a good thing that sexism and bullying is now frowned upon and being dealt with.

However things have gone way too far and everyone's a potential victim now. You have to walk on eggshells and be super careful of what you say and do or else you could be facing a lawsuit and the ruining of your reputation.

 

[Yamahopper]

I never want to seem unsympathetic to him, but how the hell did he ever make it to the NFL ?
Football at it's base is physically, mentally and verbally abusing the man in front of you. The bullying starts as soon as you sign up to play and gets worse farther you go.
He made it to the NFL and no one bitched him till Ritche the turd? Okay then?

 

[LesBaker]

I never want to seem unsympathetic to him, but how the hell did he ever make it to the NFL ?
Football at it's base is physically, mentally and verbally abusing the man in front of you. The bullying starts as soon as you sign up to play and gets worse farther you go.
He made it to the NFL and no one bitched him till Ritche the turd? Okay then?

He made it to the NFL because he was talented enough to be picked in the second round.

I doubt if his opponents were the issue since we never heard anything about them.

People that he thought were his friends treating him like shit was the problem, and he spelled that out in the media. He wasn't equipped to deal with that. He suffered from mild depression. He talks about all this the entire way through and nobody is listening and just wants to say "grow a pair".

If he was a drug abuser he'd get sympathy, but because he plays football he gets none. This makes no sense to me.

And Incognito, who has his own mild mental issues is praised for being the dickhead in this story. That's a plot twist.

Does anyone remember Incognito having a tantrum at his condo and smashing his high end car with a baseball bat?

Do you see the similarities? They are almost parallels to me.

 

[fearsomefour]

Yeah. I don't support this side of Martin. The initial article seemed to be owning his own issues and making something positive. If this is more his approach, it is more blame shifting and excuse making. I don't support that.

Reading that line....about being a bad person because he is allowed to be in the realm he occupies....pot, meet kettle (or whatever the saying is). He certainly seems to be very wrapped up in his own head.
He suffers from depression and a social issue(s)....ok, those are real things. However, what is off putting is his sense of entitlement. This may not be where his head really is, but, it sort of comes off this way. Growing up in a successful, wealthy family is a bad thing? Being physically gifted enough to earn a scholarship from one of the top colleges in the nation....earning several million dollars playing football....dude has a ton going for him. I have a hard time seeing this guy as a victim. Not because he was not mistreated by someone but because he has not been victimized by society.
He has some mental problems, ok, lots of folks do, including myself. So it goes.
I hope he is helping some kids, but, I doubt it. At some point we have to accept that we spend a portion of our time in loneliness and despair....and yes, no one cares. Again, this is not unique or special, this is life.
I hope he gets whatever help he needs, but, starting with the idea that his feelings are not special would probably help him out.
On the flip side, he owes nothing to anyone in terms of what happened or football. He played, he showed up and got paid, he retired.