OAKLAND, Calif. — Former NFL running back Doug Martin, an All‑Pro with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders, died earlier this month at age 36 after a confrontation with police in Oakland, California, officials say.
According to authorities, Martin was involved in a “brief struggle” with officers investigating an early morning break-in at a home on Ettrick Street in Oakland. The Oakland Police Department (OPD) identified Martin as the suspect. As officers attempted to detain him, he became unresponsive. Martin was transported by paramedics to a hospital, where he later died.
Martin’s family confirmed his death and disclosed that he had been battling mental health challenges; they noted he had fled his home in a disoriented state prior to entering the neighbor’s residence.
The cause of death has not been released publicly. An autopsy is pending, and the officers involved have been placed on administrative leave in line with department policy.
Martin was selected 31st overall in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from Boise State University.
He rushed for 1,454 yards and 11 touchdowns in his rookie season; in 2015, he earned first‑team All‑Pro honors after rushing for 1,402 yards and six touchdowns.
Over his NFL career (six seasons in Tampa Bay and one in Oakland), Martin accumulated 5,356 rushing yards, 30 rushing touchdowns, 148 receptions for 1,207 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns.
Martin’s sudden death raises questions about athletes’ mental health, the transition from professional sport, and police encounters involving individuals in crisis.
The case also raises troubling questions for the NFL concerning the league’s ongoing public relations battle with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.
Research links CTE and increased impulsive or aggressive behavior. The degenerative brain disease — caused by repeated head trauma — is known to produce impaired judgment, loss of impulse control, aggression, depression, anxiety, and dementia-like cognitive decline.
Some case studies and postmortem reports have found that former athletes with CTE displayed violent or erratic behavior before death. However, those findings rely largely on interviews and autopsies rather than controlled studies.
Regardless, the results of Martin’s autopsy and the official cause of death will be closely watched by his family, legal representatives, and the media.