Doug Martin, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders running back, died on October 18, 2025, at age 36 after he stopped breathing while being restrained face down and handcuffed by Oakland police officers responding to a mental health crisis. He was pronounced dead at a hospital. His parents have since filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit alleging that the officers’ restraint caused his death, and an independent pathologist hired by the family tentatively concluded he died of restraint asphyxiation.1ABC7 News. Doug Martin, Bay Area-Born NFL Star, Dies at 362Yahoo Sports. Doug Martin Parents Sue Police
What Happened the Night He Died
Around 4:15 a.m. on a Saturday, Oakland police received two 911 calls from the same East Oakland hills neighborhood. A homeowner reported a break-in and a sounding alarm. Martin’s mother called separately to say that her son had left his house on foot in the middle of a mental health emergency, that he had been taking sleeping pills, and that he had not slept for three days.3ABC7 News. Body Camera Video Shows What Happened Before Doug Martin Died in Oakland Police Custody4Good Morning America. Newly Released Footage Shows What Happened Before Doug Martin Died
Surveillance footage captured Martin in a neighbor’s backyard, yelling incoherently and calling “Help me!” before breaking through a window and going inside. Responding officers found him in a bathroom. When he came out, a physical struggle followed. Officers took him to the ground in a home gym and put him in handcuffs, telling him to “relax” and “calm down.” One officer said, “Hey Doug. So, Oakland Police Department, OK? We’re going to get you help.”3ABC7 News. Body Camera Video Shows What Happened Before Doug Martin Died in Oakland Police Custody4Good Morning America. Newly Released Footage Shows What Happened Before Doug Martin Died
While still being held on the ground, Martin went quiet and appeared to make a snoring sound. One officer said, “He could just be tired. Check his pulse!” Paramedics could not get a gurney into the home, so officers carried Martin outside. When paramedics asked if he was breathing, the officers appeared surprised to learn he was not. Paramedics removed the handcuffs and started CPR. Martin was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.3ABC7 News. Body Camera Video Shows What Happened Before Doug Martin Died in Oakland Police Custody
The Mental Health Crisis His Family Was Trying to Manage
Martin’s parents were actively trying to get him help that night. According to a family statement issued through his agent, they had “contacted local authorities for support” because he was feeling “overwhelmed and disoriented.” It was his mother who made the 911 call describing the crisis.5New York Post. Doug Martin’s Family Seeking Medical Assistance for Him Before Death
The family said Martin had “privately battled mental health challenges that profoundly impacted his personal and professional life,” adding, “Ultimately, mental illness proved to be the one opponent from which Doug could not run.”6ABC News. Doug Martin Death Family Statement
Two months earlier, in August 2025, Martin had checked himself into the Tranquility Rehab Center in Castro Valley. An Alameda County Sheriff’s Office report said he tested positive for cocaine and methamphetamine on admission and left the facility without permission multiple times. Several days in, staff found him dancing outside with blood on his face and hands; authorities believed he had jumped from his second-floor window and struck the building. Officers recovered a 12-inch chef’s knife and bags of cocaine from him and placed him on a 72-hour involuntary psychiatric hold.7New York Post. Doug Martin Jumped Out Rehab Center Window in Suspected Psychotic Episode8TMZ. Doug Martin Reportedly Jumped From Two-Story Window of Rehab Center Before Death
What the Autopsy and Investigations Have Shown
The Alameda County Coroner’s Office has not released an official cause or manner of death, citing pending test results requested by the family.9The Oaklandside. Doug Martin CTE, OPD Death, John Burris Update An independent pathologist retained by the family conducted a second autopsy and tentatively concluded that Martin died from restraint asphyxiation.2Yahoo Sports. Doug Martin Parents Sue Police
The family also sent Martin’s brain to Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center to test for CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma. Those results remained pending as of mid-2026.10The Guardian. Doug Martin Wrongful Death Police Oakland Lawsuit
His death triggered parallel investigations by the Oakland Police Department’s Homicide Unit and Internal Affairs Bureau, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, and the city’s Community Police Review Agency. The officers involved were placed on paid administrative leave. The department withheld its body camera footage for months; Acting Police Chief James Beere said there was “insufficient evidence” to classify the incident as a “critical incident” under California law, which would have triggered a 45-day disclosure requirement. Media outlets eventually obtained and published the footage in 2026, though family attorney John Burris described the 12-minute video as “incomplete” and noted gaps.11The Oaklandside. Doug Martin OPD Body Camera Footage Withheld3ABC7 News. Body Camera Video Shows What Happened Before Doug Martin Died in Oakland Police Custody The district attorney’s office had not announced any charging decision regarding the officers as of June 2026.12Los Angeles Times. Doug Martin Wrongful Death Lawsuit Parents Oakland Police
The Wrongful Death Lawsuit
On June 23, 2026, Leslie and Douglas Martin filed a federal wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The suit, brought by civil rights attorney John Burris, names the city of Oakland, five officers (Riryon Machado, Justin Bermudez, Bradley Potts, Anderson Kitts, and Sgt. M. Smith), and the ambulance company Falck Northern California Corp.13CBS News. Doug Martin NFL Player Oakland Civil Rights Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The complaint alleges that officers used excessive force by holding Martin face down while one or more of them pressed on his back, and that the restraint was a “substantial factor” in his death. It says that when Martin went limp and unresponsive, officers initially believed he was sleeping or pretending to sleep and did not immediately call for medical help.2Yahoo Sports. Doug Martin Parents Sue Police The suit also accuses Falck Northern California of taking more than 15 minutes to respond and failing to provide prompt medical care once on scene.14ABC News. Parents of Former NFL Player Doug Martin Allege Excessive Force
Burris framed the case partly as a mechanism to force disclosure of what happened. “When you call for help and the police come, it’s not a death warrant,” he said. “You don’t expect the person to die.” He said the family’s main priority was “to clarify the events that led to their son’s death.”15The New York Times Athletic. Doug Martin Death Lawsuit Oakland Police Ambulance The Oakland Police Department and the city attorney’s office declined to comment, citing the pending litigation. Falck Northern California did not respond to media requests for comment.13CBS News. Doug Martin NFL Player Oakland Civil Rights Wrongful Death Lawsuit