Miami Dolphins' coaches reportedly asked the offensive line's leader, Richie Incognito, to toughen up teammate Jonathan Martin, the Sun Sentinel reports.
Incognito, who is currently suspended from the Dolphins for bullying Martin, may have taken those instructions too far.
According to the Sun Sentinel, Incognito was given his missive after Martin had missed a voluntary workout last spring. Incognito is reported to have left threating voicemails and text messages, including one calling the player a racial slur.
"I'm just trying to weather the storm right now. This will pass," Incognito told WSVN-TV when reached outside of a doctor's office, the Sun Sentinel reports.
The most damaging part of Incognito's storm appears to be a voicemail left for Martin in April. In that voice message Incognito reportedly calls Martin, who is biracial, a "half n——r," threatens to slap his mother across the face and tells the player, who has since left the team, "I'll kill you."
Sources tell the Sun Sentinel that these messages were left for Martin after he skipped two voluntary workouts, and Incognito was encouraged by his coaches to make a call that would "get him into the fold."
The NFL is investigating this matter. Martin left the team abruptly after a lunchroom team prank last week, which caused him emotional distress. He has returned to his California hometown, where he is receiving treatment.
According to ESPN, Martin told former Stanford teammate Zach Ertz he planned to continue playing football. The Dolphins management and players have gone out of their way to make sure he knows he's welcome back, the Sun Sentinel reports.
Read more at the Sun Sentinel.