of this seasons meetings with the Knicks and three of the

DAVIE, Fla. Wholesale Panthers Jerseys . -- The basic role that Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito shared as offensive linemen for the Miami Dolphins was protecting quarterback Ryan Tannehill. The roles are now reversed. Tannehill is defending both Martin and Incognito, the central characters in a bullying saga that has taken both offensive linemen off the field and continued to evolve Wednesday when the NFL appointed a lawyer to investigate possible misconduct within the team workplace. Shortly afterward, many Dolphins spoke out about the matter for the first time -- and with at least one questioning Martins motives. "I dont know why hes doing this," offensive lineman Tyson Clabo said. "And the only person who knows why, his name is Jonathan Martin." Two people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Martin considered quitting football in the past, with one of those people saying it was because of how other offensive linemen treated him. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the organization has not given specific reasons about his departure from the team. Incognito is suspended. Martin left the Dolphins last week after a lunchroom prank, and remains excused. "If you had asked Jon Martin a week before who his best friend on the team was, he would have said Richie Incognito," Tannehill said, on another day when dozens of reporters descended on the team complex. "The first guy to stand up for Jonathan when anything went down on the field, any kind of tussle, Richie was the first guy there. When they wanted to hang out outside of football, who was together? Richie and Jonathan." The prank was a silly one -- when Martin sat down to eat, everyone else at the table stood up and walked away. Its apparently a go-to comedic ploy for the Dolphins; Tannehill and offensive lineman John Jerry both said theyve been targets of that very act in the past, and that its typically just laughed off. Not this time. Martin left the team on Oct. 28 after it happened. The story has continued spiraling ever since, with questions about not only whether bullying was tolerated, but if Incognito used racially charged terms against his teammate in phone and text messages. Incognito is white. Martin is biracial. "Whats perceived is that he was a racist, psychopath maniac," Clabo said, defending Incognito. "The reality is Richie was a good teammate, and that Richie and Jonathan Martin were friends, or appeared to be." Added Jerry, who is black, speaking about Incognitos alleged use of a racial slur: "I know the type of person he is and I know he dont mean it that way." How everything inside the Dolphins locker room is meant will now be probed by New York attorney Ted Wells, the NFLs choice to dig into the matter. Wells has experience with high-profile sports matters, having been involved with special investigations into the Syracuse basketball sexual harassment case and the NBA players union leadership dispute. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said the team will co-operate fully with Wells investigation. "The type of culture that Ive championed since the day Ive walked through these doors has been one of honesty, respect and accountability to one another," Miami coach Joe Philbin said. "I consider those to be hallmarks of this program, and I believe our locker room reflects those beliefs. I believe in the men in our locker room, and I believe in our coaching staff." Inside that locker room, players defended both themselves and Philbin. "Whats been bothering me is kind of things that you hear from outside this locker room about things that maybe undermine the integrity or the leadership or the type of players and the class of guys that we have here and the class of this organization," defensive end Cameron Wake said. "Ive been here five years and coach Philbin has done nothing but turn this organization in a positive direction from top to bottom." Wide receiver Brian Hartline said seeing the franchise take hits over the saga was difficult to bear. "Now were able to say our opinion and protect ourselves from being bullied by you guys because we werent talking," Hartline said. "We werent fighting back. We never said a word. We had to sit back and listen for a couple of days. Were kind of tired of it." Clabo said theres a way the offensive linemen treat one another, that no one is exempt from the ribbing and that its done to keep the mood light in the room. "You have to earn the trust of your teammates in this league," Clabo said. "No one is going to walk in the door and just automatically be somebody that you want to go into a game with and believe and trust and know that that persons going to be there when hes supposed to be there. Those things have to be earned." At this point, its unknown if Martin will have that trust -- or even if hell return to the Dolphins, period. Tannehill said that if either Martin or Incognito returned, he would be inclined to try to move on from this saga. "All I know about Richie is hes a great teammate to me," Tannehill said. "I saw him being a great teammate all the time. Does he like to give guys a hard time? Yes. Does he like to pester guys and have fun? Yes. But he brought a lot of laughter to this locker room, he brought a lot of cohesiveness to this locker room and he was the best teammate that I could ask for." ------ Cheap Panthers Jerseys . And yet as they left TD Garden amid the slush and snow of a winter storm on Thursday evening, there was a sense among the Leafs that they had finally stood toe to toe with their long-time bully, only to fall just short. Florida Panthers Pro Shop . Lupul injured the hand in a fall at practice on Thursday. He will wear a cast for a minimum of 10 days before he can put a glove back on it and get some mobility back, said Carlyle, who added the winger wont go on the teams upcoming road trip. https://www.panthersjerseycheap.com/ . Salah, who scored against Chelsea in two Champions League group matches this season, is Jose Mourinhos third significant recruit in the January transfer window after Nemanja Matic and Bertrand Traore.Two Atlantic Division foes, each with their own playoff jockeying still to do, jump it up Friday night when the New York Knicks visit Air Canada Centre to face the Toronto Raptors. Catch the game on TSN starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. You can also listen to all the action live on TSN 1050 at 7pm et. The Knicks are two games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference race. Both teams only have four games left on the regular- season docket. The Raptors are on the doorstep of the franchises first Atlantic Division title since the 2006-07 season. A win on Friday, or a Brooklyn Nets loss to the Hawks, and Toronto is the division winner and also clinches homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. "Weve got to bring the same effort and focus every night," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said after practice Thursday. "Its not something you teach. Its a mindset of understanding where we are in the season and what were playing for." The Raptors have been on a roll of late with four consecutive victories and seven wins in their last eight. The only setback during that stretch was a road loss to the Miami Heat. Toronto, which has won five straight at home, earned its fourth consecutive win with a 125-114 home victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. The 125 points marked a team high since Feb. 27. Jonas Valanciunas scored a career-high 26 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Kyle Lowry, who missed Torontos last three games with a bruised knee, registered 29 points with eight assists in his return to the lineup. "I was happy to be back out there with my teammates,&" said Lowry. Panthers Jerseys China. "The guys did a great job while I was out." DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Patterson added 17 points apiece in the win. The Raptors shot 50 percent from the field and 48 percent from long distance. They only committed seven turnovers, but did allow the Sixers to shoot almost 52 percent from the floor. The Knicks have slipped out of the final postseason slot thanks to back-to- back losses. They fell at home to the Washington Wizards one week ago, then fell in South Beach to the Heat on Sunday, 102-91. That was the last time the Knicks took the court, so they should be well rested. "Ive got to get this team in the playoffs. Thats where my focus is," said Knicks coach Mike Woodson. "Thats where everybodys focus should be." J.R. Smith put on a record-setting performance from beyond the arc on Sunday, setting a Knicks record with 10 made 3-pointers. Smith also set a pair of NBA records, with 22 attempts from long distance in a single game and 24 made 3- pointers over a three-game span. He ended with 32 points. Raymond Felton had 15 points and five assists for New York. Carmelo Anthony, who played with a sore shoulder, added 13 points and six assists. "Throughout the course of the game, it just felt like a dead arm at times. Just a tough afternoon," Anthony said. Anthony is expected to play in Fridays crucial contest. These two teams will close the regular season on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. The Raptors have won both of this seasons meetings with the Knicks and three of the last four as the host in this series. ' ' '