OAKLAND — Neurologists are anticipated to look at whether or not former NFL working again Doug Martin — who died in Oakland police custody over the weekend after an alleged residence break-in — suffered from a degenerative mind illness present in a rising variety of skilled athletes.
The previous All-Professional working again died Saturday morning after being confronted by police inside an Oakland hills residence, close to his household’s residence. Authorities stated a “brief struggle” ensued after police discovered Martin in the home, and he grew to become unresponsive whereas in police custody.
Martin, 36, later died at a hospital. Oakland police haven’t launched particulars about officers’ interplay with Martin.
The examination of his mind is separate from the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau’s post-mortem. An preliminary examination of Martin’s physique was accomplished Tuesday, however a last post-mortem report shouldn’t be anticipated for a number of weeks, as authorities await outcomes of routine toxicology exams that sometimes accompany bodily exams.
Testing for CTE can take a number of weeks, maybe much more than a month. The method is extremely advanced, involving preservation of the mind after which detailed work underneath a microscope inspecting the mind for telltale indicators of the situation, stated Dr. John Crary, who leads the Neuropathology Mind Financial institution and Analysis CoRE at Mt. Sinai’s Icahn College of Medication in New York.
The illness may cause vital adjustments in conduct, emotions and physique motion. Diagnosing it may be troublesome, consultants say. Whereas some exams can present hints that somebody has the situation, CTE can solely be definitively recognized after an individual dies and researchers can bodily study that individual’s mind, Crary stated.
“If we want to talk about cures, the cures lie in these brains,” stated Crary.
The neurodegenerative illness has roiled skilled contact sports activities — particularly the NFL — over the previous twenty years, as a whole lot {of professional} athletes have been recognized with the situation. It grew to become topic of a film in 2015 beginning Will Smith, who portrayed the San Joaquin County chief health worker who found the primary case of CTE in a former Pittsburgh Steelers participant, Mike Webster, greater than 20 years in the past.
Different former NFL stars recognized with the situation embrace former San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau, who died by suicide in 2012. Additionally recognized was former New England Patriots tight finish Aaron Hernandez, who died by suicide in 2017 whereas serving a jail sentence for homicide, and former Denver Broncos broad receiver Demaryius Thomas, who died in 2021 from issues of a seizure dysfunction.
Martin starred as one of many NFL’s prime working backs a decade in the past, in a profession that was additionally marred by accidents and off-field challenges.
The Stockton-St. Mary’s Excessive College product starred at Boise State College earlier than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers chosen him within the first spherical of the 2012 NFL draft. Martin’s influence was rapid: He earned the primary of his two Professional Bowl appearances throughout his rookie season, in addition to an All-Professional honor three years later.
A fan favourite nicknamed “Muscle Hamster,” he employed a powerful-yet-nimble working type that helped him prime 1,000 dashing yards a number of occasions throughout his profession. Throughout a breakout efficiency in 2012, he logged 251 yards and 4 touchdowns in a win over the Raiders on the Coliseum in 2012.
But he additionally endured struggles off the sphere. In 2016, Martin was suspended 4 video games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse coverage after testing optimistic for a banned substance. He later sought therapy and publicly expressed remorse, vowing to rebuild his well being and fame.
OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 2: Oakland Raiders broad receiver Marcell Ateman (88) celebrates his landing with teammate Doug Martin (28) in the course of the fourth quarter of their sport in opposition to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs on Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, in Oakland, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Space Information Group)
He retired quietly after the 2018 season, after a single yr spent enjoying for the Oakland Raiders. Extra lately, he was staying with kin at a longtime household residence within the Oakland hills.
On Saturday morning, police acquired a number of calls of somebody banging on doorways, wandering by way of backyards and in the end burglarizing a house on Ettrick Road, close to Martin’s household residence not removed from the Oakland Zoo.
In an announcement issued Monday night, Martin’s household stated his mother and father “were actively seeking medical assistance for him and had contacted local authorities for support” earlier than his pre-dawn Saturday encounter with police. They added that Martin “battled mental health challenges that profoundly impacted his personal and professional life,” and that he fled his residence that night time after “feeling overwhelmed and disoriented.”
“Ultimately, mental illness proved to be the one opponent from which Doug could not run,” stated the household’s assertion, which was launched by Athletes First.
Initially Printed: October 21, 2025 at 6:30 PM PDT
