NFL offensive lineman Richie Incognito was announced Friday as the “first national ambassador” of an anti-bullying organization based in Los Angeles.
Boo2Bullying, a nonprofit group founded in 2011 with the mission of “outreach, education, mentoring, inspiration and support for our youth and their families,” said Incognito will be introduced at an event later this month. Incognito, who is a free agent, was at the center of a bullying scandal while a member of the Miami Dolphins in 2013.
Richie Incognito becomes national ambassador for anti-bullying group https://t.co/oJsGBZzIWu
— Buffalo News Sports (@TBNSports) July 14, 2018
NFL investigators concluded Incognito and two of his teammates engaged in a “pattern of harassment” against then-Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin. The Dolphins suspended Incognito, who disputed claims made in the NFL’s investigation, and he later spent the 2014 season out of football before signing with the Buffalo Bills in 2015.
In a news release issued Friday by Boo2Bullying, Incognito called bullying a “national crisis,” said the cause aligned with his values and added, “I can personally relate to it from both sides — being bullied and being accused of being a bully.”
Just passing this along. Don’t @ me:
Richie Incognito was just announced as national ambassador of an anti-bullying campaign called Boo2Bullying.— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) July 13, 2018
Incognito also revealed he was the target of bullying in high school. Looks like he learned a few things about bullying while being bullied.
“A group of guys actually threw rocks at me,” he said. “My dad told me not to worry and to focus on football. So I grinded, and at this point I was really starting to excel. After a few weeks of not letting it bother me, I actually became friends with the guys that bullied me. They are still my friends today, and anytime I go home now, I make sure we find some time to catch up. It just goes to show what can happen when you actually take the time to get to know someone, instead of treating them a certain way because they are different than you.”