Martin’s subsequent demise — after what police described as a “brief struggle” with officers inside a type of properties — despatched shockwaves via town, gorgeous those that recalled the previous All-Professional operating again’s fast burst on the soccer turf and easygoing temperament off of it.
Two days later, questions mounted in regards to the Oakland Police Division’s actions earlier than daybreak Saturday, together with the components that appeared to guide Martin inside his neighbor’s dwelling and the precise circumstances round his demise in police custody.
“It’s tragic, it’s really tragic,” stated his neighbor, Lynne Belmont, 74.
It was an abrupt, stunning finish for Martin, a 36-year-old raised in Stockton who had quietly lived in Oakland of late after ending his taking part in profession with the Oakland Raiders.
A number of folks known as 911 round 4:15 a.m. Saturday, as Martin went door-to-door on the 11000 block of Ettrick Avenue, sources stated. He had been staying in a longtime household dwelling on that block, which sits atop an Oakland hills neighborhood close to the Oakland Zoo.
Police initially obtained a name about an individual breaking into a house on that road, which a supply stated had been occupied on the time. They “simultaneously” obtained discover that an individual believed to be a burglar was having “a medical emergency,” based on an announcement launched Sunday by the Oakland Police Division.
A “brief struggle” ensued when officers contacted the suspected burglar inside a home and tried to detain him, police stated. Martin then turned unresponsive after being taken into custody, based on Oakland police.
The police division additionally has but to announce what number of officers have been positioned on paid administrative go away, as is customary following an in-custody demise.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers operating again Doug Martin (22) runs throughout the second half of an NFL soccer recreation towards the New York Jets, in Tampa, Fla. Two-time Professional Bowl operating again Doug Martin has been launched by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018, who could search for a alternative in free company.(AP Picture/Jason Behnken, File)
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 encounter with police. They added that Martin “battled mental health challenges that profoundly impacted his personal and professional life,” and that he fled his dwelling that evening 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. The agency represented Martin when he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012.”
On Monday, Mayor Barbara Lee issued an announcement mourning Martin’s demise and noting she had reached out to Martin’s household. Lee hailed him as “an Oaklander who had a distinguished NFL career,” including that “our condolences are with his family and loved ones.” The household has requested privateness.
Martin didn’t appear a lot concerned in Oakland’s skilled sports activities group, a tight-knit social circle that features former big-league athletes and coaches. A number of long-timers contacted for this story had not been conscious that Martin had even resided in Oakland.
On his journey from highschool stardom in Stockton to NFL fame, nevertheless, Martin was as memorable a operating again because the coaches who crossed paths with him might keep in mind.
“He was the kind of guy who really just absorbed everything you tried to teach him,” stated Earnest Byner, a former NFL all-pro who was Martin’s operating again coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “He could do anything you asked him to do.”
It was the sort of internal confidence that made the comparatively undersized, 5-foot 9-inch tall participant — nicknamed “Muscle Hamster” — wanting to tackle extra bodily taxing assignments, reminiscent of blocking heftier linebackers.
However Martin really shone with the ball in his hand, coaches stated, zipping downfield with a springy first step. A embellished faculty profession at Boise State — the place he logged 3,400 yards and 43 touchdowns — led him to be the Buccaneers’ first-round draft choice in 2012.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers operating again Doug Martin (22) walks off the sector after a staggeringly profitable day towards the Oakland Raiders in an NFL soccer recreation, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012 at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. Martin rushed for 251 yards and 4 touchdowns, because the Buccaneers gained, 42-32. (D. Ross Cameron/Employees)
Martin had been identified across the faculty campus for his bounding social vitality. He rode a remote-controlled electrical skateboard to lessons, solid shut locker-room friendships and even embraced the recognition of “Teach Me How to Dougie,” a success tune with a signature dance transfer that shared his title.
“He was just having fun playing ball,” stated Keith Bhonapha, the faculty’s running-back coach on the time. “He really felt at home there.”
Martin’s NFL draft-day get together at his relations’ home within the Oakland hills was uniquely festive, recalled Tony Franks, his highschool coach in Stockton. Tv vehicles lined the road and dozens of individuals cheered when the St. Mary’s Excessive Faculty star obtained a name from the Buccaneers on the finish of the primary spherical.
Martin’s operating type was prototypical for the time — “powerful, compact, explosive,” he stated, but nimble sufficient to “change direction on a dime.”
“He had such natural strength, leg strength, body strength,” Franks stated. “The force he could create by accelerating was just tremendous.”
Within the NFL, although, Martin confronted adversity. After a breakout rookie season, he suffered a torn labrum that sidelined him for a lot of his follow-up marketing campaign. Nonetheless, he notched two All-Professional groups in a profession that lasted seven seasons, speeding for over 5,300 yards and two touchdowns earlier than retiring in 2018.
Martin was suspended 4 video games in 2016 for violating the NFL’s substance abuse coverage after testing constructive for a banned substance. In an announcement on the time, Martin stated he initially thought-about interesting the penalty however had determined as a substitute to hunt remedy.
“My shortcomings,” he stated of his off-the-field life, “have taught me both that I cannot win these personal battles alone and that there is no shame in asking for help.”
Bhonapha, an Oakland native who performed soccer at Skyline Excessive Faculty, visited Martin someday throughout the Tampa Bay years. Over a steak dinner, the coach recalled, Martin spoke sentimentally about his Boise State years, reminiscing in regards to the familiarity and friendships that got here earlier than the realities of maturity.
“The amount of calls I’ve gotten from teammates since this weekend asking what happened … guys who were really close with him said they hadn’t talked to him in a couple years,” Bhonapha stated.
However even amid the shock of Martin’s premature passing, those that witnessed the Stockton child’s rise to the game’s prime ranks recalled the willpower that had introduced him there.
“He had probably gone through being doubted because of his size at one point,” Byner stated. “But he never doubted what he could do — and we didn’t, either.”
Initially Printed: October 20, 2025 at 4:56 PM PDT
