Raiders News: Richie Incognito Says It ‘Felt Really Good’ To Get Back On Field For First Time Since 2017
Richie Incognito, Raiders
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Richie Incognito’s career path has certainly not been straight forward. After a brief retirement, Incognito joined the Oakland Raiders for the 2019 season.

After serving a two-game suspension for violating NFL conduct policy, Incognito finally got to suit up for the Silver and Black last Sunday. He started at left guard in the Raiders’ 34-14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Although the offense found little to no success throughout the game, Incognito felt that he had a good game. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Incognito was excited to get back on the field for the first time since 2017, and he was also playing for his father, who passed away last summer:

“I felt great,” he said. “It felt really good to be out there competing with the guys. At kickoff, I was just thankful for the opportunity and was thinking about my dad. And all the ballgames that he has been to … I really wanted to play for him.

“I really wanted to honor him, and I thought I played well. I am disappointed that we didn’t get the win … but considering everything on my end, from a personal standpoint — it’s been a lot of work and I am just extremely grateful to get the opportunity to continue competing.”

While Incognito felt he had a good game, the offensive line as a whole did not do a great job in Week 3. Although they incurred a number of injuries in the game, they also allowed Derek Carr to be sacked four times.

Of course, this was Incognito’s first game back in the NFL in 20 months. If he was a bit rusty, it would not be that out of the ordinary.

Incognito has had to sit out his fair share of games throughout his career. He was involved in the infamous Miami Dolphins bullying scandal in 2013 in which he ended up being suspended for the last half of that season and the entire 2014 season.

Since then, he has had other angry outbursts but recently has reportedly found new peace in his life. He has been focused on football and become less angry, at least partially through the help of therapy. With Incognito focused only on playing ball, his past behavior will hopefully stay in the past so he can serve as a leader on a young Raiders team.