This past month we’ve been swamped by the media storm surrounding the behavior of Miami Dolphin football player Richie Incognito. In short, Jonathan Martin an NFL football player for the Miami Dolphins left the team and checked into a hospital for emotional distress, claiming harassment from teammate Richie Incognito. Martin felt threatened by Incognito’s approach to “toughening him up” (Schefter, 2013). If true, the incident illustrates harassment in the workplace and a lack of leadership by the Miami Dolphin organization. In addition, it speaks to the important responsibility of coaches in creating a positive environment (i.e. team culture) in which athletes can grow and develop while striving for success (Brown, 2003).

Obviously, the main purpose of sport at the professional level is to win and make money. However, winning and profit-seeking does not eliminate the ethical responsibility of the organization and coach to provide a safe environment, where players and coaches treat each other with respect (Simon, 2013). When someone inflicts physical or psychological harm on another person they are demonstrating a lack of respect for the individual (Lumpkin, Stoll, & Beller, 2011). Intimidating someone or bullying them is a form of emotional and psychological coercion or hazing (Tilindiene & Gailiuniene, 2013). Regardless of your view on the severity of Richie Incognito’s actions towards Jonathan Martin, it’s tough to argue the behavior of Incognito was anything less than hazing.

Hazing in sports is defined as, “…any potentially humiliating, degrading, abusive, or dangerous activity which does not contribute to the positive development of the athlete…” (Crow & MacIntosh, 2009, p. 449). The Incognito incident demonstrated all the common signs of hazing in sports. Incognito held seniority status over Martin, Martin exhibited signs of emotional distress, and the language (i.e. racial slurs) Incognito verbalized via voicemail to Martin demonstrated a lack of respect.