Former NFL player Jonathan Martin was detained by authorities in Southern California on Friday after he apparently posted a threat directed at his former Harvard-Westlake high school as well as the Miami Dolphins.
The Instagram post itself was about as disturbing as it gets. It included Martin sharing a photo of a shotgun and bullets with the caption “When you’re a bully victim and a coward, your options are suicide or revenge.” It also included Martin mentioning former Dolphins teammates Richie Incognito and Mike Pouncey, who were at the center of the bullying scandal that featured Martin himself with the Dolphins back in 2013 (more on all there here).
It’s now being reported that Martin is currently in a mental health facility in Southern California.
A law enforcement source told KABC-TV in Los Angeles that Martin is now being held in a mental health facility. https://t.co/VaXmHPF62o
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) February 24, 2018
It’s obvious that something just isn’t right here. Mental health itself has become a major talking point when it comes to school violence and threats of school violence. That was brought to a whole new level last week after a former student killed 17 people in a shooting at a Florida high school.
For Martin, the hope here is that he gets the help that he needs. It’s also good news that authorities were able to act on a tip about the IG post before anyone was hurt.