According to multiple reports, Miami Dolphins starting offensive tackle Jonathan Martin walked off the team due to constant teasing by teammates this week.
Multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.com that Martin left the team because his teammates bullied him for being different. The “O-line made fun of him and he snapped,” one source told ESPN.com.
Martin’s teammates reportedly dubbed him “Big weirdo” and other names.
According to FOX Sports’ Joe Glazer, the last straw occurred when Martin’s teammates pulled a typical trick in the lunchroom: when the last team member sits down for lunch the other players stand up to leave. Martin’s teammates reportedly pulled the trick on him, causing him to snap and smash his lunch tray.
The team’s official explanation for Martin’s absence is he took time off to receive counseling and to spend time with his family.
But Martin seemed to dispute the team’s official statement. “Happy Halloween!” Martin wrote in a post on his Facebook page, “Don’t believe everything you read.”
While the team avoided questions about the abusive relationship between Martin and some of his teammates, other team sources reveal Martin left because he is gay and his teammates don’t like him.
If Martin really is gay, the behavior of his teammates is an indicator of the NFL’s intolerance of gay players in the locker room.
Martin, a Stanford standout, was a 2012 second-round pick of the Dolphins. He is the son of Harvard educated lawyers.
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