The parents of former NFL running back Doug Martin have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Oakland, California, its police department, and an ambulance company, alleging excessive force and delayed medical care contributed to their son’s death during a mental health crisis in October 2025.
Leslie and Douglas Martin claim that Oakland police officers restrained their 36-year-old son face down, with one or more officers applying pressure to his back, a maneuver they say caused restraint asphyxia.
According to the suit filed in federal court, Leslie Martin had called for medical assistance after her son began acting strangely. He fled the home and was found hiding in a neighbor’s basement.
The lawsuit alleges officers initially believed the unresponsive Martin was “sleeping or pretending to be” and delayed requesting aid. Paramedics from Falck Northern California reportedly took more than 15 minutes to arrive and did not promptly administer care, the family contends. Martin was pronounced dead at a hospital.
A family attorney noted the parents simply seek answers about what happened after calling for help.
“They just want to know what happened,” John Burris, the family’s attorney, told The Athletic. “Here’s a situation where the mother was calling for help. He was emotionally out of it, and she was calling for help.
“When you call for help and the police come, it’s not a death warrant. You don’t expect the person to die.”
Martin, a two-time Pro Bowler and 2015 first-team All-Pro known as the “Muscle Hamster,” rushed for over 5,300 yards in his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders.
The Oakland Police Department has declined to comment on the pending litigation, and the coroner’s investigation remains ongoing.
