NFL Investigating Yannick Ngakoue Racism Claims
By Wesley Brown
Per Adam Schefter, the NFL is looking into claims made by Yannick Ngakoue against Richie Incognito.
After the Wild Card matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonvill Jaguars, former Maryland Football player Yannick Ngakoue made a very harsh claim against Richie Incognito.
“64” is the reference to Incognito’s number, which he also wore when he played for the Miami Dolphins from 2010-2013.
Incognito was suspended by the Dolphins in 2013 for Conduct Detrimental to the Team, after claims he bullied Jonathan Martin. He remained away from the NFL for the 2014 season, then resigned with the Buffalo Bills, who he played for in 2009.
His conduct included racial slurs and violence towards Martin, as well as a string of other incidents that were uncovered. According to ESPN, Incognito used homophobic slurs and inappropriately touched another teammate, but also used racial slurs against a trainer that was born in Japan.
Ngakoue and the Jaguars had the upper hand on Incognito and the Bills on Sunday, which advanced them to Pittsburgh for the Divisional round. The former Terp managed two tackles, including one sack in this matchup.
The Jaguar’s defensive front has been playing lights out this year, and Ngakoue has been the more surprising name. He leaped over Dante Fowler Jr, who was the third overall pick for Jacksonville, and plays opposite of All-Pro defensive end Calais Campbell.
The team has coined the term “Sacksonville” as they finished second in the league with 55 sacks during the regular season, only behind the Pittsburgh Steelers by one sack.
Ngakoue is second on the team in sacks with 12 so far this season, but leads the league with six forced fumbles. He has truly mastered the art of the strip sack, and his team will need big plays if they want to advance to the AFC Championship game.