Richie Incognito Files Grievance Against Miami Dolphins; Jonathan Martin To Talk Bullying With NFL

With the top story around the National Football League unfortunately fixated on things other than the action on the gridiron, both Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin - former teammates with the Miami Dolphins - remain the focus of a bullying scandal that has grabbed the attention of league officials, teams, players and fans everywhere. Martin - a second-year pro from Stanford - left the Dolphins organization last month to receive help for certain emotional complications and word has since grown that bullying from teammate Richie Incognito may have forced the 24-year-old to make the tough decision to depart the team that drafted him with the 42^nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

According to ESPN, Martin arrived at the office of an NFL attorney to discuss the bullying scandal. Martin said recently that he was subjected to an unwarranted and over-the-top level of harassment that was headlined by his former teammate. Lawyer Ted Wells is leading the investigation into what took place within the Dolphins organization and in addition to speaking with Martin, Wells will also determine what type of role Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin and his staff had in the allegations. Once Wells has a substantial amount of information, ESPN reports that his report will undoubtedly be made public.

Prior to Martin meeting with league lawyers, Richie Incognito - who was suspended by Miami on November 3 - filed a grievance against the AFC East team concerning his penalty. Incognito has already missed one game and with the suspension having the potential to last four games, the 2012 Pro Bowler has a goal of getting everything worked out on all ends sooner rather than later since he has already publicly denied bullying Martin. In addition to Martin's meeting and Incognito's grievance, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross - who also plans to meet with Martin - put together two committees that will look into the culture of the Miami locker room.

Issuing a statement on behalf of Incognito, the NFL Players Associated indicated that the non-injury grievance filed by the offensive lineman asks for a hearing on an expedited basis so he can immediately return to the playing field.

"Richie Incognito filed a non-injury grievance against his employer, the Miami Dolphins, pursuant to his rights under the collective bargaining agreement," the statement read. "The grievance challenges his suspension for conduct which was alleged to have occurred while he was with the club. In the grievance, Incognito requests that the hearing be held on an expedited basis so that he can immediately resume playing for the team. The NFL Players Association will continue to protect the rights of all players."