The Bills were criticized earlier this week for signing offensive lineman Richie Incognito, who has been out of football for more than a year following his role in bullying former teammate Jonathan Martin when both were with the Dolphins during the 2013 season.

On Thursday, new Bills coach Rex Ryan spoke about Incognito and the baggage he brings to Buffalo.

"I'm anti-bully," Ryan said during an appearance on WGR 550. "I'm about the biggest anti-bully guy there is, especially in the locker room and in the community. When I mentioned building a bully, it's funny, because the old [Philadelphia] Flyers, the Broad Street Bullies.

"We want to have a mean, physical football team on the field, but we want to be gentlemen off it. And I believe Richie will be that."

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That shouldn't be a problem; Incognito was voted the league's dirtiest player in 2009, though he now says he's not the person he once was.

"I told [the Bills' organization] what I had learned from the whole situation," Incognito told NFL.com recently. "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."

Incognito met with Ryan, general manager Doug Whaley and owner Terry Pegula before signing a contract, and everyone appears to be on the same page when it comes to expectations.

"Needless to say, we feel very good about him moving forward," Ryan said. "He does, too. He recognizes that he's made mistakes, obviously, in the past. But he wants to prove now, that he's not that person anymore. I feel great about it.

"One thing you can't take away from him is, the guy is an outstanding football player. There's no question about it. The guy was a Pro Bowl guard, then he had this happen. I'm not making an excuse for him, but the fact that he's an outstanding player, that's what really interested me."

And that's the point: If you can play, a(nother) second chance usually isn't far off. This reality is troubling for some.

“It does feel like a slap in the face,” Amanda Nickerson, director of the University at Buffalo’s Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, told the Buffalo News' Tim Graham. “That this is happening right here in Buffalo. ...

“Can people be redeemed? Should we give second chances?” Nickerson continued. “Absolutely, if we’re talking about a kid or a first offense. I’m concerned about it. If it was just Incognito’s issues from 2013, that would be one thing. But there’s been a history of aggressive and violent and demeaning behavior that is hard to ignore. ...

“People should hear from him, and not just an empty message. What specifically has he learned from his past? What he done to take steps to change it? If he had treatment or intervention, how did it make him reflect on his behavior?”

Incognito did say that he could use this chance to "Take the opportunity to bring attention to a sensitive subject while proving to people that I'm not a racist jerk," adding "We talked about possible ways to turn this situation around and ways we can impact the community."

We'll have to see when and if that happens.