Miami's Martin leaves team after 'emotional breakdown'

[Mr. Laz]

Jonathan Martin leaves Dolphins after 'breakdown'

By Dan Hanzus
Around the League Writer
Published: Oct. 30, 2013 at 06:39 p.m. Updated: Oct. 30, 2013 at 07:00 p.m.
An unusual situation is unfolding in Miami, where Dolphins right tackle Jonathan Martin has left the team after suffering an "emotional breakdown" this week.

NFL Media's Jeff Darlington reported Wednesday that Martin is currently seeking help with his family after an incident at the team's cafeteria, according to team sources.

Martin is listed on the team's injury report with an illness, and is doubtful to play Thursday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Fox NFL insider Jay Glazer reported that Martin was the victim of a prank at the cafeteria, becoming enraged enough to "smash his food tray on the ground."

The second-year pro has not been with the team since that time. Darlington reports that Martin immediately sought treatment at a local hospital. He has since left the hospital and is now spending time with his family, according to team sources.

Martin opened the season as the Dolphins' replacement for Jake Long at left tackle. He was moved to right tackle when the team acquired Bryant McKinnie via trade last week. Tyson Clabo is expected to start in Martin's place on Thursday.

The "Around The League Podcast" is now available on iTunes! Click here to listen and subscribe.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Aside from the fact that it was repeatedly reported that he called him a pillowbitergot and a pussy in those texts, no I don't.

Since you apparently love to argue about stories without actually reading information about them, here it is:

...

Sources also say Martin received a series of texts that included derogatory terms referring to the female anatomy and sexual orientation.

OK, thanks. That seems pretty clear. I was actually wondering what the texts said. I take it that during the course of your thorough reading on the subject, you haven't figured it out yet. Let me know if you do.

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by NewChief

You know who Martin reminds me of: Willie Roaf. He was also a complete loner. Didn't do social shit. Didn't hang out with the team really. In river Falls, he'd come into the bar, have a drink alone, and leave. He was "a different dude" to hear players tell it.


Of course he was a veteran on the Chiefs, but people didn't give him shit for it.

I heard that comparison on the Radio today too.

[Cephalic Trauma]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

This is simple. You have two solutions here.

Seek help and try to fix the problem

or

Don't be a part of that culture.

The culture isn't going to change, and the more i think about MY situation when i had to take private therapy sessions as well as group therapy and be on antidepressants....and the more i think about the backgrounds from a lot of NFL players (i.e growing up poor, in the ghetto etc) i can start to understand the resentment that has been reported inside the locker room for Martin.

You have a large group of players who struggled and fought bad circumstances to get where they are, and then you have a guy like Martin who was born with a silverspoon.

I'm sure there is a lot of, "toughen the **** up, what do you have to be depressed about?" animosity towards him.

I see where you're coming from, but that does not make the culture appropriate or right. I'm sorry, but you are putting the burden on an already sick man (Martin) to seek out help for a disorder. Sometimes it takes a trigger to expose the disorder and seek help. But the absolute wrong way to deal with this is to "toughen them up" by berating them. Whether you want to blame the culture or incognito, it's something that should be addressed.

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

Really? It is a very violent game that requires an enormous amount of physical and mental toughness. They were obviously trying to harden him because the tackles on this team were the worst in the league which is why he was being replaced. Come on man, this is pretty simple stuff.

It is not simple. For you to paint it as such shows you don't know what you're talking about.

Originally Posted by Detoxing

The reason doesn't matter.

Again, the bottom line is the ratio is low.

Regardless of the reason...you can't ignore the fact that it's not an issue.

Is access to healthcare part of the reason it's low? Maybe. But does it matter? **** no. The ratio is low. Period. End of story.

And you also need to account for any issues the players may have had PRIOR to being in the NFL in order to draw any conclusions about the suicide rate (which is low).

It's a silly argument with no legs to stand on right now.

Google confounding factor. You can't take an extremely small subset of the population and compare it to a big, heterogeneous population without having confounding factors.

[mcaj22]

Willie Roaf is nothing like Jonathan Martin

Willie Roaf, actually had to face adversity, he was barely recruited out of high school. He was going to play basketball instead. He had successful parents but nothing like Martin, and nothing close to Stanford.

And the fact that he was really good and picked 8th overall in the first round because he earned it, not blocking for the best QB in the nation with the best college coach in the nation to help fluff his talent.

And then he went on to be one of the best LTs in the NFL, ever.

Jonathan Martin is nothing close to that, talent wise. Willie Roaf was a stud from day 1. Made the Pro Bowl in his second year. Jonathan Martin in his 2nd year was given the keys at the LT position by the Dolphins in the offseason to be that type of player but instead... quit.

[OrtonsPiercedTaint]

He's(Incoginito) sounding more like Kyle Turley to me. An asshole with major issues.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

I heard that comparison on the Radio today too.

Did they really make that comparison? On a KC show or national?

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

Willie Roaf is nothing like Jonathan Martin

Willie Roaf, actually had to face adversity, he was barely recruited out of high school. He was going to play basketball instead. He had successful parents but nothing like Martin, and nothing close to Stanford.

And the fact that he was really good and picked 8th overall in the first round because he earned it, not blocking for the best QB in the nation with the best college coach in the nation to help fluff his talent.

And then he went on to be one of the best LTs in the NFL, ever.

Jonathan Martin is nothing close to that, talent wise. Willie Roaf was a stud from day 1. Made the Pro Bowl in his second year. Jonathan Martin in his 2nd year was given the keys at the LT position by the Dolphins in the offseason to be that type of player but instead... quit.

I think the point is that not every player is born to be aggressive and hit people on the field. Priest Holmes was another loner and possibly "weirdo." Polamalu? Weird as shit. Doesn't drink or do crazy shit. So the fair question to ask is if Martin would have quit if he was in a different environment. I think there are lots of teams where he'd be doing fine, possibly working harder and improving.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by Cephalic Trauma

But is it justified to prod these people to toughen them up?

If you want my answer, it would be no. Instead of being a full on dickbag to toughen him up, Incognito (or someone with slightly more common sense) should have told him to seek medical help for his mental illness.

It's very easy tell someone to be confident and mentally strong, but the reality is mental illness is a disease. Though it isn't tangible, and we can't measure it on a blood panel, MRI, CT, etc., it should be treated like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or any other illness. Mental illness has predispositions (genetics, environment) just like any other disease we perceive as serious, and the consequences can be as profound.

What Incognito did was the equivalent of giving a diabetic increasing glucose injections, and the final one sent him into a hyperglycemic diabetic coma.

Has there been a report suggesting that someone diagnosed Martin as having a mental illness and that Incognito and their coaches were aware of it?

Prodding people to toughen them up has been an acceptable technique forever. They don't coddle you when you join the military and go off to basic training. That's not to say there aren't limits or that those limits weren't exceeded in Miami, but prodding to toughen isn't categorically wrong.

[Otter]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

I think the point is that not every player is born to be aggressive and hit people on the field. Priest Holmes was another loner and possibly "weirdo." Polamalu? Weird as shit. Doesn't drink or do crazy shit. So the fair question to ask is if Martin would have quit if he was in a different environment. I think there are lots of teams where he'd be doing fine, possibly working harder and improving.

It's funny how we've all of a sudden jumped from the big bad white guy who said "****er" to a more understanding mode.

Don't worrie hommie, the media will be along shortly to give ya'll something else to be enraged about. Intellects indeed.

[OrtonsPiercedTaint]

Brandon Marshall has issues. I wonder if Cutler can be a prick?

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by nychief

This is the national conversation - just it doesn't have to be. It's a college ra-ra mentality in a professional game. Just throwing up your hands and saying...well, that's the way it is... is stupid. Taking that mentality, would halt progress in all aspects of life, much less football.

Ultimately it's THE COACHES job to motivate.. not to sick some psycho on the fragile kid.

All these guys are going down.

Assuming there's truth to the emerging profile of Jonathan Martin, the other reality is that it's the Personnel Department whose job it is to identify the Martins and avoid drafting them. Martin might be the nicest guy in the world, but we may find that he just doesn't belong in an NFL lockerroom (just as we may find that the Miami lockerroom needs some changes).

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by NewChief

You know who Martin reminds me of: Willie Roaf. He was also a complete loner. Didn't do social shit. Didn't hang out with the team really. In river Falls, he'd come into the bar, have a drink alone, and leave. He was "a different dude" to hear players tell it.


Of course he was a veteran on the Chiefs, but people didn't give him shit for it.

Roaf was definitely a quiet loner type. I was sitting at the bar inside the KC Masterpiece off of Metcalf after the home opener in 2003 and Roaf came in and sat down two bars tools away. It was 2 hours after the game ended and I didn't immediately try to talk to him. After about 30 minutes I asked him if I could buy him another beer. His exact words to me were "No thanks, I'm trying to not draw attention to myself." I told him that I enjoyed watching him play, settled my tab, and left. He didn't come off as rude and he seemed very reserved.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by NewChief

You know who Martin reminds me of: Willie Roaf. He was also a complete loner. Didn't do social shit. Didn't hang out with the team really. In river Falls, he'd come into the bar, have a drink alone, and leave. He was "a different dude" to hear players tell it.


Of course he was a veteran on the Chiefs, but people didn't give him shit for it.

You're the second guy to make that connection. I guess that when you're a stud player, being a little "weird" is more accepted and less likely to be considered "soft" than when you're struggling to hold your own at your position.

FWIW, I just looked up Jonathan Martin's PFF numbers from last season when he played RT as a rookie. He was the 41st rated guy who played more RT than LT and at least 25% of his team's snaps. Tyler Polumbus of Washington was the only guy rated worse. In a 32 team league, that seems pretty bad. Maybe Miami should have bitten the bullet and traded for Branden Albert.

[CoMoChief]

Originally Posted by OrtonsPiercedTaint

He's(Incoginito) sounding more like Kyle Turley to me. An asshole with major issues.

I guess I missed the whole "Kyle Turley being an asshole" part.

What has he done?

[Cephalic Trauma]

Originally Posted by patteeu

Has there been a report suggesting that someone diagnosed Martin as having a mental illness and that Incognito and their coaches were aware of it?

Prodding people to toughen them up has been an acceptable technique forever. They don't coddle you when you join the military and go off to basic training. That's not to say there aren't limits or that those limits weren't exceeded in Miami, but prodding to toughen isn't categorically wrong.

People don't go to the hospital when they get their feelings hurt. That's what leads me to believe a disorder is in play here.

But prodding wasn't the right word. More like a full-on assault toward a mentally vulnerable individual.