By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
As if the LeSean McCoy story needed to take a turn for the absurd, Richie Incognito – of all people – has chimed in.
The former Buffalo Bills guard took to Twitter on Wednesday to defend his ex-teammate amid accusations of domestic violence, amid a litany of other allegations. McCoy swiftly denied the allegations on Tuesday.
The latest, per the Associated Press, is that the lawyer for McCoy’s ex-girlfriend Delicia Cordon is claiming the Bills running back organized an attack on her that took place on Monday. The assault and robbery happened at a Georgia home owned by McCoy, who has been embroiled in court battles with his ex to evict her from the property.
Well, Incognito is letting everyone know that he’s privy to what’s going on. And, more importantly, that McCoy is innocent. He’s saying McCoy was in Florida when the assault took place, and also accused Cordon of living a “fake lifestyle.”
I support and stand by my boy, Shady. I know the full story and he didn't do it. People can be quick to make false assumptions without knowing the full story.
— Richard Dominick Incognito Jr. (@68INCOGNITO) July 11, 2018
She was definitely assaulted. Police were involved. Shady was in Florida and she was in Atlanta. ????
— Richard Dominick Incognito Jr. (@68INCOGNITO) July 11, 2018
Agreed. Enough with this fake lifestyle she was living.
— Richard Dominick Incognito Jr. (@68INCOGNITO) July 11, 2018
Never mind the tone-deafness of throwing prayers up for a man who was just accused of a wild, ugly collection of charges. But apparently, Incognito is willing to stick his neck out there for his “G”, to the point that he’s professing McCoy’s innocence in the matter.
McCoy has already hired a lawyer of his own. You may know attorney Don Samuel from when he aggressively defended Ben Roethlisberger and Ray Lewis when they had their … legal troubles. According to Yahoo! Sports’ Charles Robinson, McCoy and Samuel are planning to mount a similarly vigorous PR defense. It makes sense, considering that McCoy has yet to be charged with anything and his reputation is basically already ruined, thanks to the shocking original Instagram post that accused him.
By the way, that first post has been removed at the request of Cordon’s lawyer. But her friend stood by her original statements in a new post, and when it comes to McCoy’s image in the court of public opinion, the damage has been done.
It certainly won’t help McCoy in the public eye that he now has Incognito as a backer. It may not be fair to criticize Incognito based on his character or other things unrelated to this incident, rather than his otherwise reasonable pleas for everyone to wait for the full story and all the facts before passing judgment.
Still … we’re talking about the principal architect of the bullying that drove former Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin away from the team. This is a man who was known as one of the league’s dirtiest players and most offensive personalities. Those details don’t necessarily have anything to do with his defense of McCoy, but his recent exploits should at least shake your confidence in pretty much anything he says.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 13: LeSean McCoy of the Buffalo Bills walks out of the tunnel onto the field before playing against the Philadelphia Eagles at the start of the game at Lincoln Financial Field. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Now retired despite briefly contemplating a return to the NFL, the 35-year-old Incognito spent some time in a mental health institute earlier this summer after a bizarre outburst at a Florida gym, which apparently included assertions that the government was spying on him.
So it certainly appears that Incognito has issues of his own to worry about, let alone stepping in out of nowhere to defend McCoy. And he’s not even up-to-date on the case, apparently; the allegation is that McCoy orchestrated the attack at the house in Georgia, not that he did it himself. Even so, if Incognito really knows the full story? Then the authorities might like for him to take a seat, right over there. Let’s talk about it.
The lesson, here, is that judging these things through social media stinks. It was a horrible act committed against Cordon, no matter who did it. Unfortunately for McCoy, the public has essentially already decided that he’s guilty of everything he’s been accused of – and his most prominent supporter so far is one of the NFL’s most controversial figures, who was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation less than two months ago.
Incognito makes one reasonable point – let’s wait for the full story before declaring anyone’s guilt of anything. But perhaps it would feel better coming from a more reliable source.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.