Wells Report Jumps All Over Incognito

((HT: nfldolphinsreport.com))

The National Football League commissioned Ted Wells and the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP to independently investigate the Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin to-do back in early November...

Wells is done and it doesn't back up all the Twitter carpet-bombing that Incognito did yesterday...

Wells admits that the conclusions are his but he feels, in part:

“The Report concludes that three starters on the Dolphins offensive line, Richie Incognito, John
Jerry and Mike Pouncey, engaged in a pattern of harassment directed at not only Jonathan Martin, but also
another young Dolphins offensive lineman and an assistant trainer. The Report finds that the assistant trainer
repeatedly was the object of racial slurs and other racially derogatory language; that the other offensive lineman
was subjected to homophobic name-calling and improper physical touching; and that Martin was taunted on a
persistent basis with sexually explicit remarks about his sister and his mother and at times ridiculed with racial
insults and other offensive comments.”

Some of the texts, especially regarding Martin's sister, are just disgusting...
The HQ will let you read them yourself and not re-print them...

Martin, in self-analysis, views himself as a pushover and even contemplated suicide.

Wells concludes that the behavior by the three is "consistent with workplace bullying."

Another Dolphins lineman was subject to more childish abuse and an assistant trainer was subject to really amateurish attempts at guy-humor. The trainer is of Japanese descent and was joked on Pearl Harbor Day that Pouncey and Martin would get revenge wearing rising sun headbands.

I mean, this stuff is just stupid... and Coach Philbin and his staff and the front office, as reported, DIDN'T KNOW???!!!

How is that even possible...???

Here's the report, thanks Deadspin...
Go ahead and read...

Paul Weiss Report

The HQ has read about a third of it... and we're stunned and disgusted...

If true, the whole Dolphins roster and front office need to be brought up as an example of how not to run a business...

Summary: The Ever Changing Dolphins Bullying Case: Should it Have Happened?

By now if you follow Sports...or News, you've read or seen at least a little something on the situation brewing internally with the NFL's Miami Dolphins.

Here's a brief recap: Dolphins 2nd year Tackle Jonathan Martin left the team last week after what he termed an abusive workplace situation. In that, he says teammates bullied him.

On Sunday, teammate Richie Incognito, also an offensive lineman was suspended from the team and accused of being the person responsible for the situation.

As the day unfolded on Monday, more revelations appeared. A trail of voice mails and text messages, that appear to threaten and intimidate Martin. There also is a racial component according to multiple reports by the Associated Press.

Here's where we are today: Incognito remains away from the team. He may never return. The consensus appears to be that he was way over the line and the Dolphins have proof. But the team is waiting on an investigation by NFL Security before fully acting.

Martin also remains away from the team and has sought counseling. His return has yet to be determined.

The Dolphins have gone to great lengths to distance themselves from Incongnito's apparent actions. The Miami Herald reported on Monday, he's likely to be cut. Don't expect him to be picked up by another team.

This folks, is a mess. And it's hard to describe to people who haven't been inside an NFL locker room.

In many ways, the NFL is like living in or with a college fraternity. The locker room has it's own hierarchy and most of the time, police's itself. But not always.

We've spent a large chunk of our career covering pro sports. All of them (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) have a similar set-up. Guys tend to, but not always are close. But there is an assumed level of respect.

Yes, there is rookie hazing, yes, there's a certain amount of grief, insults, jokes etc that go on. But it's generally all in good fun. And guys normally have lines that aren't crossed.

That doesn't seem to be the case here.

Should the Dolphins and coach Joe Philbin been more aware of what was happening? Yes. Should they have put some clamps on it? Yes. Should Martin's teammates have stepped in? Probably.

But it didn't happen.

Like it or not. Agree with it or not, an NFL team is a professional workplace and all workplaces have rules that have to be followed. Or there is punishment. And that's the case here. If this happened at your workplace, you'd be fired. On the spot.

We will continue following this story, we suspect it's not done and happens more frequently than this.

Your TV story from CBS Miami:

No Foul Play Suspected In Philbin Death

((HT: WBAY-TV))

The Oshkosh ((WI)) Police Department identified the body pulled from the Fox River as the son of Packers OC Joe Philbin. Michael Philbin disappeared Sunday night and a report was filed later that night.

Toxicology reports are due in a month or so, but there is not foul play suspected in the death.

"This is an emotional and difficult time for them, and we ask that everyone respect their privacy," Packers GM Ted Thompson said in a statement. "All of us in the Packers family share in their grief."

Here's the latest from Oshkosh...

Packers Sources: Body Pulled From River Is Philbin

((HT: WBAY-TV Green Bay))

The Green Bay Packers put out the following statement Monday afternoon:

"The Packers organization is aware of the missing person report regarding Michael Philbin, son of offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Philbin family during this difficult time. We ask anyone with information about Michael to contact the Oshkosh Police Department."

A body was pulled from the Fox River in Oshkosh mid-afternoon and local police only would say that the body was that of an individual in the 20-25 years old range. They wouldn't go into any further detail pending notification of relatives.

Michael Philbin, son of Packers OC Joe Philbin, disappeared Sunday evening and local authorities had been searching near the Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus.

Albert Breer of NFL Network has reported that Packers staff and players were told that the body was identified as that of Michael...

From Breer's Twitter feed:

RT @jasonjwilde #Packers players have indeed been informed the body of offensive coordinator Joe Philbin's son, Michael, has been ID'ed.

More when we know more...

PM UPDATE: Here's the early report from WBAY-TV