Richie Incognito announces his retirement as a Raider

Richie Incognito spent only three seasons with the Raiders, and over the last two years, he played in just two games. But the experience was enough for him to want to officially end his long NFL career as a Raider.

And judging by the support he received from teammates and Raiders owner Mark Davis on Friday at his retirement announcement, the feeling is mutual.

A bunch of offensive linemen Incognito helped groom over the last few years lined one wall inside the media room at Raiders headquarters as Incognito bid farewell to his 15-year career, which included four Pro Bowl appearances.

Standing alongside of them was Davis, who along with then head coach Jon Gruden coaxed Incognito back to football after he sat out the entire 2018 season. At the time, Incognito was coming off a tumultuous year in which he was arrested for throwing weights at someone at a Florida gym during an argument and then arrested again three months later for threatening to shoot employees at the Arizona funeral home where his deceased father’s body was being handled.

The life preserver the Raiders threw Incognito, which included a keen understanding of his mental health and a helping hand to assist him, became a salve for a player who spend so much of his career trying to find a workplace that understood him and accepted him.

“It felt like home from the beginning,” Incognito said. “The coaches let me be who I was … They didn’t micromanage me. It’s been a long time coming, me being a Raider. I think I was born to be a Raider. I took the long road to get here, but it’s felt like home ever since.”

And now he will forever be associated with the Silver and Black

Thus ends a 15-year career that featured its share of controversy — including being suspended by the Miami Dolphins for essentially the entire second half of the 2013 season after an incident with teammate Jonathan Martin and sitting out all of 2014 and 2018, only to revive his career with the Raiders in 2019.

His time with the Raiders, though, was continually hampered by injuries. He appeared in just 14 of a possible 49 games. That included the leg injury he suffered in training camp that cost him the entire 2021 season.

Behind the scenes though, he played a big role as a veteran presence.

“He created such a fierce leadership mentality among these young guys,” said Davis, pointing to the offensive linemen on hand. “Teaching them how to become football players and how to become young Raiders. As he said, he was born to be a Raider and I believe that.”

All of which led to such a meaningful three years with the organization that he — and they — wanted him to officially retire as a Raider.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.