Ted Wells Report released; finds harassment from three Dolphins starters
By Josh Sanchez
After plenty of waiting, the Ted Wells Report has finally been released after investigating the incidents between Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito that led to Martin ultimately walking away from the team mid-season.
Incognito has been the face of the alleged “bullying” and “harassment,” but the report shows that fellow starting offensive linemen Mike Pouncey and John Jerry were involved.
Along with Martin, the report finds that a Dolphins assistant trainer and other players were also a victim of harassment, homophobic language and “improper physical touching.”
“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 press release reads.
“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.”
“The Report rejects any suggestion that Martin manufactured claims of abuse after the fact to cover up an impetuous decision to leave the team. Contemporaneous text messages that Martin sent to his parents and others months before he left the Dolphins—which have never before been made public—corroborate his account that the persistent harassment by his teammates caused him significant emotional distress. The Report concludes that the harassment by Martin’s teammates was a contributing factor in his decision to leave the team, but also finds that Martin’s teammates did not intend to drive Martin from the team or cause him lasting emotional injury.
“Consistent with my prior practices involving similar investigative reports, it is not my present intention to hold a press conference or comment further about the Report. The Report is thorough and comprehensive, and speaks for itself.”
You can read the full report here.
Those conducting the report did their due diligence by reviewing thousands of voluntarily produced documents, including text messages, emails and team policies, and completed more than 100 interviews, including interviews of all Dolphins players and coaches, key front office personnel, and the team’s owner and chairman.