Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito has insisted that he is not racist despite admitting using racial slurs towards his teammate Jonathan Martin.
Incognito is alleged to have sent a voice mail message to Martin in April referring to the offensive tackle as a "half nigger piece of shit", as well as threatening to "kill" him.
The 30-year-old acknowledged that he was wrong to use such offensive terms, but insists that the language used in the locker room is not representative of him as a person.
"I'm not a racist, and to judge me by that one word is wrong. In no way, shape or form is it ever acceptable for me to use that word, even if it's friend-to-friend on a voice mail," Incognito told Fox Sports.
"It's thrown around a lot. It's a word that I've heard Jon use a lot. It's not saying it's right that I did it and used it in a voice mail.
"But it's a lot of colourful words that are being thrown around in a locker room that we don't use in everyday life."
Incognito also claimed that Martin had left him similar messages, and that such exchanges were simply the nature of their relationship.
Barney Corkhill
