Two of the common responses to the bullying within the Dolphins locker room have been, “That’s just how locker rooms are,” and “That’s just how offensive linemen act.” One NFL offensive lineman wants to let people know that’s not the case.
Green Bay Packers offensive lineman T.J. Lang took to Twitter after the release of the Ted Wells report to say that the information he learned about the Dolphins’ locker room does not square with what he’s seen in the Packers’ locker room, or with what he’s heard about other NFL locker rooms.
“Please don’t stereotype NFL players for what’s going on with Miami. That type of stuff is not common in other locker rooms,” Lang said.
It may be true that NFL locker rooms aren’t generally the world’s most evolved workplaces, but Lang and other players have every right not to want to be tainted by association with guys like Richie Incognito, John Jerry and Mike Pouncey, who according to the Ted Wells report routinely abused not only Jonathan Martin, but also another Dolphins player and a Dolphins trainer. It shouldn’t be assumed that all NFL players are neanderthals just because Wells’s report concluded that Incognito, Jerry and Pouncey are.