Dolphins' Richie Incognito: 'I've been there -- I'm no choir boy'
DAVIE, Fla. -- Miami's Richie Incognito said Tuesday he was "moving past" an incident in which Houston Texans defensive end Antonio Smith ripped off the Dolphins guard's helmet and swung it, narrowly missing Incognito's head.
FOXsports.com reported Monday the NFL had obtained exclusive video of a flagrant incident in Saturday night's Texans-Dolphins preseason game. On Tuesday, according to multiple reports, the NFL suspended Smith for the Texans' final two preseason games as well as their regular-season opener.
"Football's an intense game. It's played with a lot of passion. The blood runs hot. I've been there -- I'm no choir boy," Incognito said after Tuesday's practice. "People lost their cool, just thank God nobody got hurt."
Asked if the helmet made contact with his head, Incognito said: "I'm not really going to touch on anything like that. I'm moving past it. I'm moving on to the Tampa Bay game."
Incognito said he did not know the process by which the league was informed of Smith's actions that largely went unnoticed by many people present or watching on TV.
No penalty was called on the play but Smith and Incognito have a history. Smith was fined $21,000 -- reduced to $11,000 after an appeal -- by the NFL last season for kicking Incognito while he was on the ground.
"You're faced with those situations all the time," Incognito said. "It's been a work in progress for me. It's something I've been working on for many years now. I have too much respect for my teammates and too much respect for the hard work we put in to retaliate and affect this team negatively."
Charlie McCarthy can be reached at mac1763@bellsouth.net or on Twitter @mccarthy_chas
