Falcons' Gonzalez weighs in on Dolphins situation, locker room culture
ATLANTA -- Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez brought the breadth of his wisdom gleaned from 17 NFL seasons to bear on the troubling situation emanating from the Miami Dolphins' locker room.
On Thursday, Gonzalez described the incredible amount of stress under which NFL players operate, stress -- physical and mental -- of which the viewing public is, in all likelihood, completely ignorant.
"You're under enough stress already -- it's a stressful business," Gonzalez said. He then referenced the situation of 27-year-old Denver Broncos offensive lineman John Moffitt, who this week elected to forgo $1 million in salary, informing the team after its bye week that he was quitting. "I think the guy from Denver, he walked away. It's a stressful game. Not just on the field either. Being in the locker room. There's so many different variables that go into it that, it makes it tough."
So much is unknown about what led Dolphins lineman Jonathan Martin to leave his team, alleging bullying from teammate Richie Incognito and others. Martin's attorney, in a statement, has even alleged physical attacks from a teammate.
Yet part of what has made the situation so bizarre is that numerous Dolphins players have defended Incognito. One report indicated that Incognito was acting on instructions from coaches.
As the situation continues to unfold, much has been made of the culture of NFL locker rooms, which was the topic of Gonzalez's discussion. Gonzalez likened NFL players to comedians, who also occasionally cross the line of what is considered socially acceptable.
"It makes you laugh," he said, "but just as comedians are, sometimes they push the line. They go overboard a little bit. They say stuff that's racially, economically -- nothing's out of bounds. Any insecurity you have, they're going to play on it and it's done out of fun. It should never ever go over a line.
"I don't know what happened in Miami and I've seen it go over a line before but it happens every once in a while and you try to correct it and get back out there and get on the field, because it's about playing and having that camaraderie and being a good team each Sunday."
Gonzalez said that when locker room behavior crosses the line, it typically remains internal and gets fixed internally.
"Nothing's out of bounds in the locker room," he said. "That's the thing about it -- for the most part. Like I said, if it goes over the line, then you handle it and you handle it in the best way. That's not unique to an NFL locker room. Everybody else here did not even pretend, ‘Wow, I can't believe it goes on there.' It goes on in any workplace across America, I don't care."