Richie Incognito has checked out of a Arizona mental institution and pronounced himself ready to resume his NFL playing career.
The 30-year-old Incognito voluntarily checked himself into the rehab facility last month during what he described as a bout of “severe mental distress” after he smashed-up his own Ferrari with a baseball bat. In the wake of his release, Incognito instantly took to Twitter, where he thanked family and friends for their support and assured all he is “ready to get back to work.”
Incognito hasn’t played in the NFL since last November, when the Miami Dolphins indefinitely suspended him after then teammate Jonathan Martin went public with his claims he had mercilessly been bullied and hazed by Incognito to the point he considered suicide and ultimately walked out on his teammates.
The NFL eventually hired special investigator Ted Wells to conduct a probe of the team’s locker room culture, with Wells concluding in a 144-page report that “Incognito seemed like a man out of control” and the Dolphins’ as, an organization, had been complicit in their dealings with the veteran lineman.
But on Wednesday, Incognito tweeted from the premise that all was forgiven, posting “I missed you guys. Thanks goes out to my family and friends for the tremendous amount of support. Looking forward to getting back to work ASAP.”
If and when the former Pro Bowler ever makes his NFL return, it almost certainly will not be before he serves some sort of league-mandated suspension stemming from Wells’ findings.
Now a free-agent, Incognito is free to negotiate and sign with any team, though his list of suitors may be curtailed given his patchy history.
The Dolphins recently dealt the 24-year-old Martin to the 49ers for a conditional, seventh-round draft pick. In San Francisco, the third-year tackle will be reunited with former Stanford college coach Jim Harbaugh.
