Apparently, Jonathan Martin is a "coward."





That's the label from one NFL personnel official who felt the Miami Dolphins' offensive lineman didn't properly handle the alleged assault on his race and character from teammate Richie Incognito.

"Instead of being a man and confronting him," the NFL source told Sports Illustrated, "he acted like a coward and told like a kid."

This reaction to a still-developing situation (and one without full context) is extremely disappointing and dangerous.

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NFL coaches and executives crow about doing the right thing and keeping composure in the heat of the moment – both on and off the field – and yet there's vitriol for a man who walked away from what he deemed a toxic situation. Martin didn't bring a gun to work, he didn't break someone's face; he just left. And he's being ripped for it.

How many times have we heard outrage at the Detroit Lions' Ndamukong Suh when he lost his cool or played dirty? If only he would better represent the NFL by staying above his baser instincts and focus on winning above petty battles.

Martin, however, is a "coward."

Being a "man" and "confronting" a perceived threat is often the unhealthiest reaction. Retaliation is often derided by coaches and general managers (and the commissioner), whether it happens during a game or in a bar. One of the most difficult things an NFL player has to learn when fame and fortune set in is how to turn the other cheek when someone is baiting. Confrontations can get a player flagged, suspended, arrested or worse.

If this kind of sentiment is prevalent in league front offices, the NFL is in serious trouble. The tacit message is clear: being a "man" means taking matters into your own hands. The leap from there to violence isn't far.

The personnel officials may feel "confronting" would entail speaking directly to Incognito. We don't know that Martin didn't try that and the implication in these comments isn't peaceful.

"I think Jonathan Martin is a weak person," said another NFL source in the Sports Illustrated story. "If Incognito did offend him racially, that's something you have to handle as a man!"

So instead of Mike Vick calming the waters in Philadelphia by immediately forgiving Riley Cooper for his racist tirade over the summer, the quarterback should have kneecapped his receiver with a crowbar?

Instead of handling things "like a man," Vick and the Eagles worked with Cooper and he was one of the stars of Sunday's big win against the Oakland Raiders. That was a superb example of leadership in a situation where the locker room could have been divided permanently.

There's reason to believe the personnel people quoted in the SI story are in the minority. One NFL executive, reached Tuesday afternoon, said he wouldn't hesitate to bring in Martin.

"It's the culture and environment," the executive told Yahoo Sports. "The leadership of your team is critical. With the right coaches and leaders, he would be fine."

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