I can’t believe what is happening in Miami right now. The Richie Incognito-Jonathan Martin story that has plastered the front pages of sports sections and has devoured precious air time on the various talk shows has been interesting, lively and infuriating.

Let’s start with this: both Incognito and Martin are offensive linemen for the Miami Dolphins. Martin, a second-year player, filed a report of player misconduct against Incognito alleging the NFL veteran bullied Martin. This came after the racially-charged text messages and physical violence threats by Incognito had built up over the months, and Martin had enough.

ESPN last week was able to get their hands on a transcript of an April 2013 voicemail message from Incognito to Martin: “Hey, wassup, you half [expletive] piece of [expletive]. I saw you on Twitter, you been training 10 weeks. [I want to] [expletive] in your [expletive] mouth. [I’m going to] slap your [expletive] mouth. [I’m going to] slap your real mother across the face [laughter]. [expletive] you, you’re still a rookie. I’ll kill you.”

The stress was enough for Martin to leave the team and check into a hospital for emotional distress. This has unleashed a firestorm of comments and opinions from all over the talking-head spectrum from the run-of-the-mill sports shows to daytime television.

At first, the criticism was all directed toward Incognito crossing the line of playful rookie hazing and taking it too far. Then the players from the Dolphins started talking.

Throughout the week, there has been an unbelievable amount of support for Incognito and the players have turned on Martin, basically saying he needs to “man up” and retaliate physically against Incognito.

Antrel Rolle, safety for the New York Giants, even said to WFAN radio: “At this level, you’re a man. You’re not a little boy. You’re not a freshman in college. You’re a man … You need to stand up for yourself.”

And how exactly would he stand up for himself, Mr. Rolle? You apparently have a problem with men solving issues in a peaceful, bureaucratic manner rather than blind rage and retaliation.

Rolle’s comments and those of other teammates saying that Martin just needed to man up is a troubling look inside what football players believe it is to be a man. Dominating others is not what it is to be a man. Plain and simple. Turning the other cheek in Rolle’s eyes is portrayed as weak.

The NFL is professional organization. It’s not the playground where the bully takes your lunch money. It’s a place for professionals to work in a professional environment with other professionals. I don’t think I could get away with some of those things that Incognito did if I were working in an office somewhere. Why should the NFL be any different? According to the Dolphins players, it is apparently wrong for Martin to want some respect as a professional.

I am going to be one to stand up for Martin. He should never have to defend his manhood to anybody. He is doing what he needs to do to deal with the situation and that is a process that varies from man to man. But it still makes him the bigger man than anybody else in football.