Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles has issued a statement in response to the school being shut down on Friday due to a threat made by school alumna, Jonathan Martin.
In its statement, the school said it learned of the threat made by Martin on Thursday evening and they closed out of caution.
“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 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,” the school said in a statement.
Harvard-Westlake is an extremely prestigious private school that has two separate campuses, one for grades 7-9 and the other for grades 10-12. Martin attended the school and played football there before going to Stanford and eventually the NFL.
The internet post referenced by the school in its statement was a photo posted on Martin’s Instagram story. The photo showed a shotgun on a bed with several bullets around it. The post says, “When you’re a bully victim & a coward, your options are suicide, or revenge.” The post specifically names four people, including two former Dolphins players — Richie Incognito and Mike Pouncey — whom Martin accused of bullying him.
In 2015, Martin talked about how he contemplated suicide while playing.
