Former Miami Dolphins player Jonathan Martin is in police custody and has pleaded not guilty to five criminal charges stemming from an Instagram post of a gun.
Martin surrendered Tuesday to authorities in Van Nuys, California.
ESPN reported the following:
Former NFL offensive lineman Jonathan Martin pleaded not guilty to four felony counts and one misdemeanor count in connection with a threatening Instagram post from last month.
Martin surrendered in a Van Nuys, California, court Tuesday on an arrest warrant, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office.
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Martin is due back in court April 25 for a preliminary hearing. If convicted as charged, he faces up to six years in custody.
As I stated yesterday, this whole situation with Martin has gotten absolutely tragic. The guy was literally bullied out of the NFL, was in the media and news nonstop and then posted a photo of a shotgun with multiple rounds on a bed with tagged names shortly after the shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Martin clearly needs some serious help, and as ESPN pointed out in their report, he has already spent time in a mental facility.
We should all be thankful that the police reacted quickly to Martin’s social media post, and this report is about him surrendering instead of something potentially much worse.
Hopefully, he gets the proper help he needs and can put this whole awful situation behind him.