After more than a year out of football, Richie Incognito is back in the league. The Bills signed him earlier this week and the offensive guard is saying all the right things.

"I told [the Bills' organization] what I had learned from the whole situation," Incognito wrote in a text to NFL.com's Jeff 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 continued. "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."

In November 2013, just a year removed from the Pro Bowl, Incognito was suspended by the Dolphins  for his role in bullying teammate Jonathan Martin. Incognito was also accused of harassing a female volunteer at a Dolphins celebrity golf tournament in 2012. And in 2009 he was voted the NFL's dirtiest player.

But new Bills owner Terry Pegula said Monday that he spoke with Incognito and he believes the team's latest addition is a different person.

"I personally met with Richie, along with (general manager) Doug Whaley, (coach) Rex Ryan and (Pegula's wife) Kim regarding an opportunity to earn a spot on the Buffalo Bills roster," the owner said. "Obviously, we all discussed Richie's past experience in the NCAA and NFL. We are convinced that Richie is prepared to move forward and has and will continue to take the necessary steps to improve himself as a person and a teammate. Following discussion with the rest of the coaching staff, we as an organization will provide him with the opportunity to do so."

For all the news from around the NFL, listen to the latest Eye on Football Podcast below (and never miss an episode by subscribing here):