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QUITE LIKE THIS OCCURRING WHEN I
WAS IN THE NFL.
>> TELL US ABOUT YOUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH RICHIE
INCOGNITO.
IN AN NFL.COM PIECE, HE TALKED
ABOUT A CONVERSATION HE HAD WITH
YOU IN 2010 WHEN YOU GUYS WERE
TEAMMATES IN MIAMI AND HE SAID
THAT HE WANTED YOU TO HELP HIM
WITH HIS ANGER ISSUES.
TELL US ABOUT THAT.
>> YEAH.
MIAMI IN 2010 AND I PLAYED A O -
YEAR WITH HIM, AND HE HAD A
HISTORY BEHIND HIM OF GETTING IN
TROUBLE ON THE FIELD AND OFF THE
FIELD, USUALLY SOMETHING, YOU
KNOW, PEOPLE ATTRIBUTED TO HIS
TEMPER, HIS ANGER, AND WHEN HE
CAME TO MIAMI, YOU KNOW, I KIND
OF PUT HIS HISTORY ASIDE AND
TRIED TO GET TO KNOW HIM AS A
PERSON, AND I LIKE RICHIE.
HE'S A FIERY GUY AND HE LOVES TO
PLAY FOOTBALL.
HE'S A PHYSICAL GUY.
BUT AS FAR AS SEEING HIM DO
ANYTHING THAT WAS PROBLEMATIC OR
TROUBLESOME, IN THE YEAR I SPENT
WITH HIM, I NEVER SAW IT.
>> DOES IT SURPRISE YOU, THIS
ALLEGATION FROM THE TEAM,
SUSPENDED FOR BEING CONDUCT
DETRIMENTAL TO THE TEAM?
>> NOT MUCH SURPRISES ME IN THE
THINGS THAT GO ON IN THE NFL
BECAUSE A LOT OF WHAT THEY DO IS
REALLY FOR PUBLIC OPINION.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THESE
ALLEGATIONS COME OUT AND YOU
KNOW, AND EVERYTHING IS KIND OF
BLAMED ON RICHIE.
IT PUTS THE DOLPHINS IN A
DIFFICULT SPOT.
THIS WHOLE EVENT IS REALLY A BIT
OF A BLACK EYE TO THE TEAM,
DEFINITELY TO RICHIE AND I THINK
ALSO TO THE NFL.
SO IT SEEMS LIKE THEY GO INTO
SAVE FACE MODE TO TRY TO QUIET
THINGS DOWN SO THEY CAN FOCUS ON
THE GAME THEY HAVE THIS WEEK.
>> HOW MUCH IS HAZING PART OF
THE NFL CULTURE?
I KNOW IT'S PART OF COLLEGE
FOOTBALL.
I KNOW IT'S PART OF HIGH SCHOOL
FOOTBALL.
HOW MUCH OF IT SHOWS ITSELF IN
PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL?
>> MUCH LESS.
MUCH LESS THAN PEOPLE WOULD
THINK.
MY ROOKIE YEAR, 1999, THERE HAD
BEEN AN EVENT IN THE PREVIOUS
YEAR IN NEW ORLEANS AND COACH
DITKA AT THE TIME GOT UP IN
FRONT OF THE TEAM AND TOLD US,
HE SAID THERE WILL BE NO HAZING
IN THIS CAMP.
HE SAID IF THERE'S ANY HAZING,
THE PERSON THAT DOES THE HAZING
AND PERSON WHO GETS HAZED ARE
BOTH OUT OF HERE.
THAT SET THE TONE FOR ME RIGHT
AWAY.
REALLY, I HAVEN'T SEEN VERY MUCH
HAZING.
THERE ARE CERTAIN TRADITIONS
LIKE WHEN ROOKIES COME IN,
ESPECIALLY IF THEY'RE HIGH DRAFT
PICKS, THAT THEY WILL TAKE THEIR
POSITION GROUP OR THE OFFENSE OR
DEFENSE OUT TO DINNER AND FOOT
THE BILL.
THAT'S MORE OF A RITE OF
PASSAGE.
I WOULDN'T CONSIDER THAT HAZING.
>> THE IDEA THAT HE WAS BEING
MADE TO PAY $15,000 FOR A TRIP
TO VEGAS HE DIDN'T GO ON, THAT
WOULDN'T SURPRISE YOU SO MUCH,
NOR WOULD YOU NECESSARILY THINK
IT WAS ALL THAT ROUGH A THING OR
ALL THAT ABNORMAL?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, PLAYING IN
THE NFL, THE THINGS THAT I'VE
SEEN, NONE OF IT REALLY
SURPRISES ME.
THE ONE THING THAT JUMPS OUT AT
ME IS REALLY, THE NFL ISN'T FOR
EVERYONE.
THERE ARE CERTAIN PEOPLE AND I
WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW,
I HAD THESE IDEAS AND
EXPECTATIONS ABOUT WHAT THE NFL
WOULD BE, THEN ONCE I GOT THERE,
I SAW THAT IT WASN'T WHAT I
THOUGHT.
SO FOR ME, I SEE THIS KID VERY
INTELLIGENT KID, YOU KNOW, HIS
PARENTS ARE ATTORNEYS, HE WENT
TO STANFORD AND THIS THESE
EXPECTATIONS ABOUT WHAT THE NFL
WOULD BE, AND IF YOU LOOK AT HIS
CAREER, HE REALLY HASN'T HAD AS
MUCH SUCCESS AS HE WANTED TO
THINK THERE'S A AVE BEEN TOUGH,
LOT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS GOING ON
HERE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NFL AND
THESE COACHES, WHAT SHOULD THEY
REALLY BE DOING, FORGETTING HOW
IT LOOKS TO THE MEDIA AND THE
PUBLIC?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE OF
THESE THINGS WHERE THE NFL, IT'S
REALLY LIKE A CLOSED FRATERNITY.
IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IT'S
REALLY NOT MADE FOR EVERYONE.
THERE ARE CERTAIN PEOPLE THAT
CAN PLAY IN THE NFL AND CERTAIN
PEOPLE THAT CAN'T.
ONCE YOU SIGN THAT CONTRACT,
THERE'S A LOT OF RULES, WRITTEN
AND UNWRITTEN, THAT YOU'RE
EXPECTED TO FOLLOW.
SO FOR ME, THIS IS SOMETHING
THAT SHOULD BE HANDLED
INTERNALLY AND I DON'T THINK THE
MEDIA, I DON'T THINK FANS, I