According to Giants' safety Antrel Rolle, Jonathan Martin should bare some of the responsibility for his tumultuous relationship with former Dolphins' linemate Richie Incognito.
On Tuesday, during his weekly radio appearance on WFAN in New York, Rolle stated that he believed it was wrong for Incognito to be dismissed from the Dolphins, and that Martin should be held accountable for not standing up for himself.
"Was Richie Incognito wrong? Absolutely," Rolle told the radio station. "But I think the other guy is just as much to blame as Richie, because he allowed it to happen."
Over the course of the last couple of days, sources have confirmed that Martin has released audio recordings and text messages that reveal that Incognito consistantly verbally abused him with racial slurs and highly profane language.
In the wake of the scandal, Martin has taken an idefinite leave of absence, while Incognito has been released by the Dolphins front office.
The NFL is currently collecting information from both sides for a formal investigation, but not all players, including Rolle, believe that the league has the right to interfere in internal affairs that happen behind closed doors.
Rolle again reiterated that there was plenty of blame to go around, but that Martin lacked a certain level of self-respect that he needs to correct if he were going to rejoin an NFL lockeroom.
"Hopefully he's able to bounce back and recover from all that has happened and take awareness of, you know man, you're a grown-ass man. You need to stand up for yourself. Hazing is one thing. Bullying is another."