Former Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin posted a chilling Instagram story that forced a high school to close.
On Thursday, Martin caught the attention of school officials with a story that featured a photo of a shotgun and the names of former Dolphins teammates Richie Incognito and Mike Pouncey as well as the Los Angeles-area high school, Harvard-Westlake, that Martin attended. The 28-year-old was taken into custody on Friday, ABC reported.
“When you’re a bully victim and a coward, your options are suicide or revenge,” Martin cryptically posted.
Martin became the victimized face of NFL bullying in 2013 when he charged teammates, namely fellow offensive lineman Incognito, with harsh treatment in the locker room.
The post comes a week after 17 students were killed by a gunman at Florida’s Stoneman Douglas High School.
“Last evening, we learned of an Internet post that mentions Harvard-Westlake by name,” the school said in a statement as it closed both its campuses. “Out of an abundance of caution, and because the safety of our students, faculty, and 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 able.”
His Instagram account is private, but is verified.
Martin accused Incognito, Pouncey and other offensive lineman five years ago of aggressively mocking him with racial insults. Incognito was subsequently suspended for the rest of the season and Martin was traded to the 49ers in the offseason.
Martin has largely been out of the public spotlight since retiring in 2015 after a brief stint with the Panthers. In 2016, the bi-racial athlete revealed that he had tried committing suicide multiple times throughout his life and was not comfortable growing up in the ritzy Los Angeles area he and his parents to moved to when he was 10 years old.
“You learn to tone down your size & blackness by becoming shy, introverted, friendly, so you won’t scare the little rich white kids or their parents,” he wrote in a 2016 social media post.
“Neither black nor white people accept you because they don’t understand you. It takes away your self-confidence, your self-worth, your sanity.”