It has been a rather scandal-free football season in my eyes. It seemed to be smooth sailing after Aaron Hernandez went on a killing spree back in preseason. Then the name Richie Incognito made headlines. I first assumed it was a failed drug test or maybe a bar brawl that ended badly, but I came to find out Incognito made headlines for being an extreme bully to teammate Jonathan Martin. To be clear, two grown men are shaking up the NFL because of bullying.

I will be the first one to say bullying is an extreme problem in middle schools and high schools. It does deserve national attention to protect the younger generation that does not feel safe to walk school hallways – not grown men who run into each other like trucks for a living.

I do not want to seem insensitive, and I am definitely not blaming the victim. I put all the blame on the NFL and Incognito. The culture of hazing on football teams in the NFL has been kept behind closed doors. It’s known that rookies are usually the victims of pranks at training camp or get their heads shaved for a few laughs. Pranks can be forgotten, and hair grows back, but, according to news reports, Incognito and other veterans have reached beyond that. They have forced rookies to pay for expensive trips and dinners totaling up to $30,000. Messing with the money somebody feeds their family with is serious.

Many speculate that Incognito has a pattern of this behavior. Some are not even surprised by his actions. My question is: If this behavior was foreshadowed, why didn’t anyone say anything? This happens regularly in organizations around the country. It has even happened on our university. Problems do not just turn into scandals overnight, they are constantly ignored while they are small to the point they get so big it becomes hard to cover them up or even fix them.

I will admit that is hard for me to feel sorry for Martin, simply because he is a grown man who let another grown man treat him as sub-human. When looking at pictures, they are about the same size, so Incognito did not have a physical advantage over him, but I cannot speak on the mental state of both players. But pushing my feelings aside, the league did Martin an injustice. They failed to protect him as a player, an asset that drives their industry.

They do have a chance to redeem themselves with the aftermath of this situation, but that seems unlikely. The NFL always seems to drop the ball when it comes to protecting the right player. They will defend a player like Ben Roethlisberger, who has been accused of sexual assault on two occasions, but let a player like Jonathan Martin fall through the cracks.

Amber Patterson is a junior majoring in public relations. Her column runs biweekly on Wednesdays.