Former NFL player detained by police after Instagram post
FILE – This Aug. 28, 2014, file photo shows San Francisco 49ers’ Jonathan Martin on the bench during an NFL football preseason game against the Houston Texans in Houston. A law enforcement official says ex-football player Martin was taken into Los Angeles police custody after a threatening Instagram post that spoke of bullying. The official says Martin was being questioned and was not under arrest. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
LOS ANGELES — Former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin, who has struggled with mental health issues after a 2013 bullying scandal that shook the NFL, was questioned by Los Angeles police after a threatening Instagram post on his account mentioned two former teammates who had harassed him.
Martin was detained by investigators after the post showed a shotgun and referred by name to the private Harvard-Westlake prep school in Los Angeles that he once attended but was not under arrest Friday evening, police spokesman Josh Rubenstein said.
The post also included mentions of the Instagram usernames of former Miami Dolphins players Richie Incognito and Mike Pouncey and said suicide and revenge were the only options for a victim of bullying.
The Harvard-Westlake prep school was evacuated earlier Friday after officials were made aware of the post. It was not immediately clear whether Martin posted the photo himself.
Martin left the Miami Dolphins midseason in 2013 after accusing teammates of bullying. An NFL investigation found that Incognito, Pouncey and teammate John Jerry engaged in persistent harassment directed at Martin.
Incognito was suspended for the final eight games and sat out the 2014 season before joining the Buffalo Bills.
The NFL’s investigation also found that teammates threatened to rape Martin’s sister, called him a long list of slurs and bullied him for not being “black enough.” Martin is black and Incognito is white.
Martin, who underwent counseling for emotional issues after the bullying scandal, posted on Facebook in 2015 that difficulties in football led him to attempt suicide multiple times.
Martin, the son of two Harvard graduates, attended Stanford University. After he left the Dolphins, Martin played for the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers. He left the NFL in 2015.
Representatives for the Miami Dolphins and the NFL declined to comment and referred questions to Los Angeles police.
