Richie Incognito Return: Goal Is 'Proving to People That I'm Not a Racist Jerk.'

At least Richie Incognito talks as if he were a changed man.

NFL.com reported on Incognito's first public comments since signing with the Buffalo Bills on Monday. He texted back and forth with NFL Media's Jeff Darlington about what he said to the Bills to earn a second chance.

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"I told them what I had learned from the whole situation," Incognito wrote in a text to Darlington. "That I needed to respect those around me more and that I needed to realize I may find things funny that other find offensive. This whole learning process was about becoming self-aware. About becoming a better person/teammate/leader.

"We mutually expressed that this would be my last chance and we should look at it as a positive," he said. "Take the opportunity to bring attention to a sensitive subject while proving to people that I'm not a racist jerk. We talked about possible ways to turn this situation around and ways we can impact the community. We had a good talk for about an hour. They met separately. They then came back and said they would like me to be part of the organization."

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Bills owner Terry Pegula said that several members of the Bills organization, including Pegula's wife, Kim, said they were satisfied that the 31-year-old offensive guard was rehabilitated, which led to his signing a one-year contract for a reported $2.25 million.

Darlington reported that Incognito spent about six weeks in in-patient care at McClean Institute in Boston over the summer. NFL players Brandon Marshall and Aldon Smith are noted former patients of McClean.

Incognito was suspended for the last half of the 2013 season for being the ring leader in a bullying scandal against teammate Jonathan Martin, who has not commented on Incognito's return.