Bills’ Incognito calls out Goodell’s ‘absolute power’
Buffalo Bills guard Richie Incognito, who has been given a second chance this season after his bullying scandal, calls NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's "absolute power" part of the problem with the Deflategate investigation.
Incognito said the NFL punishment system is "bogus" and there was nothing "independent" about Ted Wells' investigations of the Miami Dolphins when he played there and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's alleged role in using underinflated footballs during the AFC Championship Game in January.
The 32-year-old Incognito told Newsday that Goodell's unchecked power makes it unfair for players who are the subject of league investigations.
"I just think it's bogus, the whole system in how it's set up with Roger and the complete, absolute power he has," Incognito told the newspaper. "He has so much power and he hires independent investigators who come in and are obviously not independent. They come in with an agenda and they come in looking to find facts to back up their argument. All the facts are slanted in their favor.
"Ted Wells came in with a mission against me. Ted Wells came in slanted against me and everything in his report was slanted against me. There were some things in there that would have helped my cause that were left out."
Wells' investigation into the Dolphins bullying scandal found that Incognito and two other Miami offensive linemen -- John Jerry and Mike Pouncey -- harassed rookie Jonathan Martin. Incognito was suspended for his final eight games with the Dolphins in 2013.
Incognito, who was unsigned for the entire 2014 season and signed with the Bills in February, was asked by Newsday for specifics on what was left out of Wells' report in his case.
"Teammate testimony, stuff like that," said Incognito, who is expected to start for the Bills. "You see that in Brady's case. There's a lot of stuff that got left out. There's a lot of misinformation."
On July 28, Goodell upheld Brady's four-game suspension on appeal. The NFL Players Association appealed Goodell's ruling to federal court. Goodell and Brady are due to meet in a Manhattan federal court on Wednesday for a court-mandated settlement hearing.
