DAVIE, Fla. (AP) - In the stadium program sold at the Miami Dolphins' game on Halloween, Richie Incognito was asked who's the easiest teammate to scare. His answer: Jonathan Martin.
The troubled, troubling relationship between the two offensive linemen took an ominous turn Monday with fresh revelations: Incognito sent text messages to his teammate that were racist and threatening, two people familiar with the situation said.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the Dolphins and NFL haven't disclosed the nature of the misconduct that led to Sunday's suspension of Incognito, a veteran with a reputation for dirty play.
Martin, a tackle, remained absent from practice Monday one week after he suddenly left the team because of emotional issues. Also missing was Incognito, a guard suspended indefinitely late Sunday by coach Joe Philbin for his treatment of Martin.
Agents for the two players didn't respond to requests for comment. Martin is with his family in Los Angeles for counseling.
The 319-pound Incognito, a ninth-year pro, is white. The 312-pound Martin, who is in his second NFL season, is black. For much of the season, they've played side by side.
The team and NFL continued their investigation into allegations by Martin's representatives he was bullied, and Philbin said Dolphins owner Stephen Ross asked commissioner Roger Goodell for assistance. The NFL Players Association also planned to look into the matter.
"Every decision I've made, everything we've done in this facility has been done with one thing in mind," Philbin said. "That's to help our players and our organization reach their full potential. Any type of conduct (or) behavior that detracts from that objective is not acceptable and is not tolerated."
It's unclear whether coaches or management had any inkling of harassment between the players before Martin left the team, and Philbin declined to answer a question about the locker-room culture. Recent rumblings of dissension have also included complaints by young players they're pressured to pay more than their share when team members socialize together.
After beating Cincinnati in overtime Thursday, the Dolphins had three days off while the Martin story mushroomed. They returned to practice Monday and afterward found nearly 100 reporters and cameramen in their locker room.
Teammates praised both Incognito and Martin and expressed regret regarding their absences, but said it was time to get on with business.
"The only thing affecting us is we can't even get dressed," said receiver Mike Wallace as he surveyed the media throng.
Wallace said he found Incognito to be intense but a good teammate. Newcomer Bryant McKinnie agreed.
"When I got here, he was a guy who had everybody laughing and told jokes," said McKinnie, a tackle who joined the team two weeks ago. "I didn't really see the side being portrayed right now."
Hazing of young players has a long history in sports, but Incognito's treatment of Martin raised questions about whether coaches or teammates should have intervened.
"It's not a thin line. It's pretty obvious stuff that shouldn't be crossed," Tennessee Titans cornerback Jason McCourty said. "You would hope if stuff was getting out of hands, there were guys in the locker room who would step up and maybe nip it in the bud before it got out of control."
Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett said he was glad the Dolphins took action against Incognito.
"Especially when you try to bully a guy. That's so classless," Dockett said. "His whole makeup is to play dirty and hurt guys. Everybody knows that. I just don't understand how he got away with it for so long. I think the NFL really needs to buckle down on it now, because it's bigger than trying to hurt other guys. You're trying to hurt guys on your team mentally, which sometimes can actually be worse than hurting someone physically."
Philbin said he was unaware of hazing incidents that involved Incognito - such as hacking into a teammate's Facebook page - shown on the HBO series "Hard Knocks," which chronicled the Dolphins' training camp in 2012. Philbin said he never watched the program.
"If the review shows that this is not a safe atmosphere, I will take whatever measures are necessary to ensure that it is," Philbin said. "I have that obligation to the players that I coach on a daily basis, and I will do that."
Before being suspended, Incognito posted several tweets saying he wanted his name cleared.
"Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth," Incognito tweeted, quoting Buddha.
Incognito, in the final year of a $13-million, three-year contract, has a reputation of being among the NFL's dirtiest players. During his first four years, he led the league in penalties for unnecessary roughness, and the St. Louis Rams got fed up with his undisciplined play and released him during the 2009 season.
At Nebraska, Incognito's career was cut short when he was suspended in 2004 before his junior season following a locker room altercation with a teammate. He also ran into problems with the law while with the Cornhuskers, and they said he repeatedly violated team rules.
Martin protected Andrew Luck's blind side at Stanford before joining Miami as a second-round draft pick in 2012.
For the first six games this year, Incognito and Martin were the two players protecting Ryan Tannehill's blind side. Their troubled relationship may help explain his NFL-high 35 sacks.