The Miami Dolphins have suspended starting guard Richie Incognito for conduct detrimental to the team, the team announced on Sunday.
According to ESPN, Incognito is being is reviewed by the Dolphins, the National Football League and the NFL Players Association for harassment of teammate Jonathan Martin, who left the team last week after a lunchroom incident and is currently receiving help for emotional issues.
Incognito reportedly sent Martin text messages and voicemails that were threatening and racially-charged in nature, multiple sources have told Fox Sports.
"We believe in maintaining a culture of respect for one another and as a result we believe this decision is in the best interest of the organization at this time," the team said. "As we noted earlier, we reached out to the NFL to conduct an objective and thorough review. We will continue to work with the league on this matter."
Sources said the team and the NFL Players Association were notified about the messages and they will be shared with the league as part of an investigation.
According to the Miami Herald, a source reportedly said younger players on the Dolphins' team are under pressure to pay for veterans' social outings. The source said younger players, some who make no more than $400,000 a year, were handed the tab for a $30,000 team dinner. The source added that one player is losing money because he is not able to say no to the older players' demands, the source added.
Everything tastes better when rookies pay for it pic.twitter.com/KGaisEfap2
— Jared Odrick (@JaredOdrick98) November 2, 2013
Sources said one of the significant allegations being reviewed is that Incognito got Martin to contribute $15,000 to help finance a trip to Las Vegas by some teammates last summer, even though Martin preferred not to travel with the group.
Incognito posted several tweets Sunday saying he wanted his name cleared from reports linking him to the Martin matter. He was later suspended.
Incognito reportedly took to Twitter earlier Sunday. He called the reports "false speculation" and "slander" and said ESPN was hiding behind sources "who are not man enough to put their name behind the BS you report." The posts were later delected.
Incognito, a ninth-year pro, earned a reputation as one of the NFL's dirtiest players when he was with the St. Louis Rams. But he has won frequent praise for his leadership since joining the Dolphins in 2010, and this year he was voted by teammates to serve as a member of the Dolphins' player council.