One of the more notable allegations in the Wells Report looks to have been the result of a (notebook) paper trail.
After Dolphins offensive tackle Jonathan Martin left the club in late October, offensive guard Richie Incognito assessed himself a $200 fine for “Breaking Jmart” by logging it in a notebook, the report’s authors said in the report released Friday.
The report alleges that Incognito also made a note ostensibly giving a $250 award to offensive guard Nate Garner for “Not Cracking First.”
The fine and bonus were part of a larger system of fines the offensive linemen levied upon their linemates for various reasons, the Wells Report said. The fines were documented in a spiral notebook called the “fine book,” the report claimed.
Martin’s allegations of mistreatment are at the center of the Wells Report, which studied the Dolphins’ workplace environment. The report also alleges that Garner was teased by teammates.
According to the Wells Report, Incognito initially told investigators “that he did not know why he had been fined for ‘breaking Jmart,’ but upon being told that the notations appeared to be in his handwriting Incognito did not dispute that ‘breaking Jmart’ meant causing Martin to have an emotional reaction in response to taunting.”
The report alleges that Incognito told investigators that the notations in the notebook for his fine, Garner’s bonus and series of fines for Martin were all logged after Martin left the team.
The report also alleges that Incognito sent text messages to Garner and center Mike Pouncey on November 3 asking them to “destroy” the notebook.
Incognito, the Wells Report claimed, told investigators “that he wanted the fine book destroyed because he believed it would be ‘misunderstood’ if it was reviewed outside of the offensive line.”
Then, the Wells Report shared its opinion as to why Incognito wanted the book to disappear.
“We believe Incognito’s concerns were well founded — not because the fine book would be ‘misunderstood,’ but because, viewed in context, it would prove that Incognito was fully aware that the verbal taunting had caused Martin to break emotionally,” the Wells Report stated.
Wrote the report’s authors: “Incognito’s attempt to destroy the fine book is a classic example of evidence demonstrating “consciousness of wrongdoing.”