In this day and age, I think nothing in the sports world can surprise me. Then, a story like Manti Te'o's dead girlfriend comes up.
Later, we all found out that Te'o's girlfriend didn't even really exist and the term "catfishing" became even more ingrained in the American lexicon. As unreal as the Te'o situation was, it seemed like it would be a long time before something topped that story.
That is, until the Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito story broke. If you haven't followed what is going on, here is a very condensed version.
Martin and Incognito are both members of the Miami Dolphins' offensive line. Martin alleged that Incognito bullied him and sent him racist texts and voice mails. Teammates took sides, some saying Incognito was an "honorary black man" in the Miami locker room, so his words and texts weren't meant to be hateful. Other teammates confirmed he, at the very least, bullied Martin.
Who would think that, in this day and age, someone would text another person calling them a "half-breed n*gger" (Martin is half white and half black), or tell someone that they want to defecate in their mouth. Those are just some of the things Martin says Incognito texted him. Incognito says that Martin sent him similar messages.
The story has changed so much that a timeline or a flowchart would be helpful to keep up with what all has gone on. It is safe to say it will be a while before the full story comes to light, if it ever does.
When 2013 ends, I'm sure I'll think the Martin-Incognito story is the strangest one I've heard, but I know I will be amazed again at some point in 2014.
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