OAKLAND — Neurologists are expected to soon examine whether former NFL running back Doug Martin — who died in Oakland police custody over the weekend after an alleged home break-in — suffered from a degenerative brain disease found in a growing number of professional athletes.
Martin’s brain is being preserved for tests to determine whether he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, authorities confirmed to this news organization on Tuesday. The condition, which can cause erratic behavior and severe mental illness, is associated with repeated head trauma and has been found in hundreds of former NFL players in recent years.
The former All-Pro running back died Saturday morning after being confronted by police inside an Oakland hills home, near his family’s residence. Authorities said a “brief struggle” ensued after police found Martin in the house, and he became unresponsive while in police custody. Martin, 36, later died at a hospital. Oakland police have not released details about officers’ interaction with Martin.
The examination of his brain is separate from the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau’s autopsy. An initial examination of Martin’s body was completed Tuesday, but a final autopsy report is not expected for several weeks, as authorities await results of routine toxicology tests that typically accompany physical exams.
Testing for CTE can take several weeks, perhaps even more than a month. The process is highly complex, involving preservation of the brain and then detailed work under a microscope examining the brain for telltale signs of the condition, said Dr. John Crary, who leads the Neuropathology Brain Bank and Research CoRE at Mt. Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine in New York.
The disease can cause significant changes in behavior, feelings and body movement. Diagnosing it can be difficult, experts say. While some tests can provide hints that someone has the condition, CTE can only be definitively diagnosed after a person dies and researchers can physically examine that person’s brain, Crary said.
“If we want to talk about cures, the cures lie in these brains,” said Crary.
A message sent by this news organization to Athletes First, which represented Martin when he was drafted into the NFL in 2012 and has spoken on his family’s behalf this week, was not immediately returned.
The neurodegenerative disease has roiled professional contact sports — in particular the NFL — over the past two decades, as hundreds of professional athletes have been diagnosed with the condition. It became subject of a movie in 2015 starting Will Smith, who portrayed the San Joaquin County chief medical examiner who discovered the first case of CTE in a former Pittsburgh Steelers player, Mike Webster, more than 20 years ago.
Other former NFL stars diagnosed with the condition include former San Diego Chargers linebacker Junior Seau, who died by suicide in 2012. Also diagnosed was former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez, who died by suicide in 2017 while serving a prison sentence for murder, and former Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who died in 2021 from complications of a seizure disorder.
Martin starred as one of the NFL’s top running backs a decade ago, in a career that was also marred by injuries and off-field challenges.
The Stockton-St. Mary’s High School product starred at Boise State University before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft. Martin’s impact was immediate: He earned the first of his two Pro Bowl appearances during his rookie season, as well as an All-Pro honor three years later.
A fan favorite nicknamed “Muscle Hamster,” he employed a powerful-yet-nimble running style that helped him top 1,000 rushing yards multiple times during his career. During a breakout performance in 2012, he logged 251 yards and four touchdowns in a win over the Raiders at the Coliseum in 2012.
Yet he also endured struggles off the field. In 2016, Martin was suspended four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy after testing positive for a banned substance. He later sought treatment and publicly expressed regret, vowing to rebuild his health and reputation.
OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 2: Oakland Raiders wide receiver Marcell Ateman (88) celebrates his touchdown with teammate Doug Martin (28) during the fourth quarter of their game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018, in Oakland, Calif. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
He retired quietly after the 2018 season, after a single year spent playing for the Oakland Raiders. More recently, he was staying with relatives at a longtime family home in the Oakland hills.
On Saturday morning, police received several calls of someone banging on doors, wandering through backyards and ultimately burglarizing a home on Ettrick Street, near Martin’s family home not far from the Oakland Zoo.
In a statement issued Monday evening, Martin’s family said his parents “were actively seeking medical assistance for him and had contacted local authorities for support” before his pre-dawn Saturday encounter with police. They added that Martin “battled mental health challenges that profoundly impacted his personal and professional life,” and that he fled his home that night after “feeling overwhelmed and disoriented.”
“Ultimately, mental illness proved to be the one opponent from which Doug could not run,” said the family’s statement, which was released by Athletes First.
Jakob Rodgers is a senior breaking news reporter. Call, text or send him an encrypted message via Signal at 510-390-2351, or email him at [email protected].
