Fins fire OL coach, trainer amid report
— -- The Miami Dolphins have fired offensive line coach Jim Turner and long-time head athletics trainer Kevin O'Neill, a fallout from the Ted Wells report concerning workplace harassment, the team announced Wednesday.
The Dolphins informed O'Neill of his dismissal after he had arrived at the Indianapolis Scouting Combine on Wednesday, according to sources, while Turner did not accompany team to the combine.
Turner recently finished his second year with the Dolphins while O'Neill had been with the organization for 18 years.
"The language and behavior as described in the Ted Wells report are against the core values of our organization," said Dolphins owner Stephen Ross in a statement. "After receiving the report, I conducted my own internal review of the facts to determine the appropriate steps for our organization. Jim Turner and Kevin O'Neill are good people who care a great deal about their profession and the players whom they serve, but both exhibited poor judgment at times which led me to this conclusion."
The Wells report, released Friday by the NFL investigator stated that Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin was subjected to "a pattern of harassment" that included racial slurs and vicious sexual taunts about his mother and sister by three teammates.
The 144-page report said Richie Incognito, who was suspended by the team in November, and fellow offensive linemen John Jerry and Mike Pouncey harassed Martin, while another offensive lineman and an assistant trainer also routinely came under attack, the investigation found.
The investigation states one of O'Neill's assistants, who was born in Japan, was the target of racial slurs from Incognito, Pouncey and Jerry. O'Neill failed to do anything and "allegedly even laughed at some of the racial insults," according to the report.
Dolphins coach Joe Philbin and the front office were not aware of the players' mistreatment of Martin, Player A or the assistant trainer, the report determined.
"As the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, it is my responsibility to create an atmosphere that allows each player the opportunity to reach his full potential," Philbin said in the release. "As Stephen Ross said, and I agree, the language and behavior outlined in Ted Wells' report was disappointing and unacceptable.
"Since I first arrived in Miami, it has been my goal to have a team which honors our proud tradition and represents our fan base the right way both on and off the field. It is not possible for a team to accomplish its goals when the fundamental values of respect are violated. That ultimately rests on my shoulders and I will be accountable moving forward for making sure that we emphasize a team-first culture of respect towards one another."