Bills warn Richie Incognito this is his last chance

Brandon Schlager

Bills warn Richie Incognito this is his last chance image

Before the Bills signed Richie Incognito to a one-year contract last weekend, owners Terry and Kim Pegula came away from a meeting with the oft-troubled offensive lineman convinced that he has reformed his act.  

During the meeting with other team personnel, the two sides openly discussed Incognito's turbulent past that includes sexual harassment charges and the 2013 bullying scandal that rocked the NFL. The Bills warned Incognito that they expect him to be on his best behavior, or else this would be his last chance in the league.

MORE: Reaction to Incognito? No middle ground | A test of manhood: good, bad and ugly 

Incognito told them he understands.

"I told them what I had learned from the whole situation," Incognito wrote to NFL.com's Jeff Darlington. "That I needed to respect those around me more and that I needed to realize I may find things funny that others find offensive. This whole learning process was about becoming self-aware. About becoming a better person/teammate/leader.

"We mutually expressed that this would be my last chance and we should look at it as a positive," he said. "Take the opportunity to bring attention to a sensitive subject while proving to people that I'm not a racist jerk. We talked about possible ways to turn this situation around and ways we can impact the community. We had a good talk for about an hour. They met separately. They then came back and said they would like me to be part of the organization."

The Bills announced Monday that they signed Incognito to a one-year, incentive-laden contract worth up to $2.25 million. The deal also includes a $100,000 signing bonus.

Incognito's troubles date back to his college days when Nebraska suspended him from its program. He then went to Oregon and was kicked off the team there, too.

He was nonetheless selected by the Rams in the third round of the 2005 Draft, but the team released him in 2009 after a sequence of head-butting opponents and sideline implosions.

Following the bullying scandal in Miami, it was revealed Incognito in 2012 had been accused of molesting and harassing a woman at a team golf event.

Incognito settled a civil case with the woman out of court.

Brandon Schlager

Brandon Schlager Photo

Brandon Schlager is an assistant managing editor at The Sporting News. A proud Buffalo, N.Y. native and graduate of SUNY Buffalo State, he joined SN as an intern in 2014 and now oversees editorial content strategy.