Former Stanford standout Martin in custody
Alleged threats online lead school to close
The private Studio City high school attended by former Stanford and 49ers offensive lineman Jonathan Martin was closed Friday after an Instagram post linked to the player made references to a possible gun-related response to bullying he was subjected to in high school and the NFL.
According to USA Today, Harvard-Westlake students received an alert before classes were to start telling them that the school would be closed. The paper quoted a Los Angeles police spokesperson as saying the closure was related to “an Instagram post by a former student who is now an adult.”
Martin was taken into custody, questioned and released, KABC-TV in Los Angeles reported.
An Instagram post on Martin’s page had a picture of a shotgun surrounded by shells with “#HarvardWestlake” and “#MiamiDolphins” either written or superimposed on the gun. Text next to the gun read, “When you’re a bully victim & a coward, your options are suicide, or revenge.”
The New York Daily News reported that the school released the following statement: “Last evening, we learned of an Internet post that mentions Harvard-Westlake by name. Out of an abundance of caution, and because the safety of our students, faculty, and our staff is our top priority, we made the decision to close school today. We are working closely with law enforcement and will share more information when we are available.”
Martin, 28, was at the center of an NFL bullying scandal when, in Miami, he opted to leave the Dolphins after two seasons rather than deal with harassment from then-teammates Richie Incognito and Mike Pouncey, both of whom were tagged in the Instagram post.
Incognito was suspended by the Dolphins in November 2013. The suspension was lifted the following February, but no team signed him for the 2014 season. In February 2015, Incognito signed with the Bills and he’s started every game each of the past three seasons for Buffalo.
In his final year at Stanford, Martin was a first-team AllAmerican and was one of four finalists for the Lombardi Award, given to the nation’s top offensive or defensive lineman. He left Stanford after his junior season and was the No. 42 pick in the 2012 draft by the Dolphins.
Before leaving the Dolphins in November 2013 because of the bullying scandal, Martin started 23 games for Miami and was among the league’s lowestgraded offensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.
In March 2014, the 49ers traded a conditional seventhround pick for Martin, who was reunited with Jim Harbaugh, his coach at Stanford.
Martin struggled in his lone season with the 49ers and was waived in March 2015. Despite making just nine starts in 2014, Martin allowed the secondmost sacks (six) and third-most quarterback pressures (21) on the team.
Martin was claimed off waivers by the Panthers the day after the 49ers parted with him. However, he retired in July 2015 while dealing with a back injury that would have prevented him from playing that season.