Former NFL offensive lineman Jonathan Martin announced last month that he is retiring just a few months after he signed with the Carolina Panthers. The 25-year-old reportedly needed back surgery and may not have been able to play during the 2015 season.
Plus, football is not all that important to Martin, anyway.
On Monday morning, Martin sent his first series of tweets in roughly a month. He deleted one of them almost immediately — the one that said football was “just a job” and not worth the long-term health risks. Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review captured a screenshot.
Martin also said playing in the NFL was always his dream and thanked his former Panthers and San Francisco 49ers teammates. Not surprisingly, he left the Miami Dolphins out.
Gonna miss football… Was always my dream to play in the NFL. Proud to say I did it, the right way, even if for not as long as I wanted
— Jonathan A. Martin (@J_Martin71) August 10, 2015
Nothin but love for my Panthers & 49ers teammates
— Jonathan A. Martin (@J_Martin71) August 10, 2015
It’s unclear why Martin felt the need to delete the tweet about football being “just a job.” He’s not the first player to decide that a career in the NFL isn’t worth jeopardizing his health, and the stuff that happened in Miami was well publicized. No one is shocked by Martin’s decision.
