Richie Incognito, Buffalo Bills agree on contract - Los Angeles Times
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Richie Incognito, Buffalo Bills agree on contract

Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito defends during a game against the Seattle Seahawks in 2012. Incognito appears close to signing with the Buffalo Bills.

Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito defends during a game against the Seattle Seahawks in 2012. Incognito appears close to signing with the Buffalo Bills.

(Joel Auerbach / Getty Images)
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Richie Incognito, who was at the center of the Miami Dolphins’ bullying scandal in 2013, has found a new home in the NFL.

Incognito and the Buffalo Bills have agreed in principle to a contract, the team announced Saturday.

Incognito sat out the 2014 season after being suspended indefinitely by the NFL in the 2013 season, during which he missed the final eight games, before a league investigation determined he and two other Dolphins players harassed teammate Jonathan Martin.

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The league lifted his suspension in February 2014, but he did not sign with a team despite having workouts with the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos.

This will be Incognito’s second stint with the Bills. He appeared in three games with Buffalo in 2009 after being placed on waivers by the St. Louis Rams.

Incognito, 31, has a reputation for being one of the NFL’s dirtiest players, but his signing with the Bills seems to mesh with new Coach Rex Ryan’s mission to transform the Bills into a meaner, tougher team.

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“We’re going to build a bully, and we’re going to see if you’re going to play us for 60 minutes because we’re going to give everything we have every snap out there,” Ryan said at his introductory news conference on Jan. 14.

The NFL investigation identified Incognito as the ringleader in the harassment of Martin, who walked away from the Dolphins and now plays for San Francisco. Incognito was a central figure in a report on the behavior of Dolphins players and their locker-room culture conducted by Ted Wells, which also identified Dolphins Mike Pouncey and John Jerry as instigators.

Incognito has played nine NFL seasons with St. Louis, Buffalo and Miami, starting all of his 102 games.

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Sam Farmer contributed to this report.

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