Richie Incognito Says He's Done
And so it ends. Just days after firing his agent via the Twitters, weeks after saying how glad he is to be re-upping with the Bills, months after being tagged by Jonathan Martin in his nearly tragic Instagram threatening to shoot up a school and years after being the subject of Roger Goodell’s Bullygate witchhunt, Richie Incognito is dunzo. One of the most tumultuous, polarizing and notorious careers and offensive lineman has ever had is over at last.
I suppose if I was a man prone to cynicism, I’d be skeptical of the claim that “stress” is what’s causing his liver and kidneys to fail. But I’m not that guy. Incognito is the ultimate example of the guy you hate when he’s on any team but yours. The Bills Mafia were on both sides of the equation and I’m sure they’d agree. He’s the Rodney Harrison of interior O-linemen. A nasty instigator type with no filter to stop him running his mouth or take the edge off his often brutal honesty. Like last November, when he hammered the NFL over the abomination that is Thursday Night Football. Granted, his message was lost somewhat by the fact the Bills got their dicks kicked in the dirt by the Jets and Incognito’s own unit was responsible for Tyrod Taylor’s 7-sack near death experience. But that doesn’t change the fact that he was right.
It’s interesting to hear him talk about the Hall of Fame, because he’ll be one of the true case studies on what it takes to make it into Canton. His teams never won, and that will hurt him for sure. But for a generation he’s been among the best in his position. Bullygate will leave an Old Testament mark of shame on him, even though everyone by now realizes that Jonathan Martin is a seriously sick manic depressive and the league was just looking for a way out of the PR hit that was him complaining about Incognito picking on him. Ultimately I don’t think he’ll get inducted. Like Harrison, he has the football resume but just alienated too many people. But I’d like to see it happen. What I also liked to see happen was him twice a season in the AFC East. A high motor, max effort, feral maniac who brought it every week. For all his unrepentant assholery, football could use more Richie Incognitos, but it just lost its only one. Sad.