The family of former Las Vegas Raiders running back Doug Martin revealed tragic new details about his death, filing a federal lawsuit saying police treatment was to blame.
The former All-Pro running back, who finished his career with the Raiders, died last year after being restrained by police during what family members say was a mental health crisis.
Doug Martin’s Death Prompts Federal Lawsuit
As Bleacher Report noted, Leslie and Douglas Martin claimed that Oakland police officers held the former running back “face down while one or more officers pressed on his back,” which they claim was a “substantial factor” in his death.
Attorney John Burris, who represented the Martin family, said their federal lawsuit is aimed to learning more about the cause of the former Raiders running back’s death.
“The family is very much interested in finding out what happened to their son,” Burris said. “Unfortunately the litigation is a mechanism to best get that done.”
Police alleged that Martin had been involved in a break-in, which led to a struggle with police officers who had been trying to detain him. Leslie Martin had called police because she was worried about her son, who was acting strangely and “needed some medical attention,” Burris said.
As Bleacher Report noted, details of what transpired next were not fully clear.
“Oakland police released several minutes of officers’ body camera footage and 911 calls in March. In the video, officers called Martin by name,” the report noted. “The officers and Martin struggle briefly and then he is physically restrained face down. There are several minutes not shown in the released video.”
The lawsuit claimed that after Martin became unresponsive, police initially believed he was either sleeping or pretending to be asleep. They requested medical assistance when he became unresponsive, but it took paramedics more than 15 minutes to respond to the call and did not promptly provide care once they arrived, the lawsuit also claimed.
Burris said the family wants to learn why police used excessive force and it took medical responders to long to arrive and care for him.
âThey just want to know what happened,â Burris told The Athletic. âHereâs a situation where the mother was calling for help. He was emotionally out of it, and she was calling for help.
âWhen you call for help and the police come, itâs not a death warrant. You donât expect the person to die.â
The lawsuit also names Falck USA, Inc. and its subsidiary Falck Northern California Corp., which employs the paramedics who responded to the call.
Oakland police did not comment on the lawsuit, Bleacher Report noted.
Doug Martin’s Ended Career With Raiders
Martin was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012 and earned two Pro Bowl trips, including an All-Pro berth in 2015. He rushed for a total of 5,356 yards in his career with 30 touchdowns. Martin finished his career with the then-Oakland Raiders, his hometown team.
Martin had one of the best seasons of his career with the Raiders, rushing for 723 yards with four touchdowns in the 2018 season.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Tragic New Details Emerge on Death of Former Raiders RB appeared first on HEAVY.