Former NFL running back Doug Martin died during a brief scuffle with police in Oakland, California, on Saturday, Oct. 18.
Martin, 36, was being detained by officers responding to a call of a home break-in around 4:15 a.m. local time.
Police previously posted about the death of a person in custody in a press release on Saturday.
The Associated Press identified Martin as a former NFL running back, who previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders.
Police said in a follow-up press release on Monday, “Prior to his death, Martin was involved in a break-in at a residence in Oakland. While responding officers were attempting to detain him, a brief struggle occurred.”
“After being taken into custody, Martin became unresponsive,” the press release continued. “Paramedics responded to the scene, provided medical aid, and transported Martin to a local hospital, where he later died.”
“Since Saturday, OPD has been in contact with Martin’s family. The family has requested privacy as they grieve this tragic loss,” the release concluded.
Martin’s family said he suffered a mental health episode before the struggle with police.
Martin’s former agent, Brian Murphy, said in a statement that Martin struggled with mental health challenges that “profoundly impacted his personal and professional life.”
Murphy said Martin’s parents sought psychiatric help for their son. He said Martin was feeling “overwhelmed and disoriented” before allegedly “fleeing his home and entering a neighbor’s property two doors down.”
“Ultimately, mental illness proved to be the one opponent from which Doug could not run,” Murphy said, according to the AP.
