Bullied NFL player’s shotgun pic on Instagram causes high school closure

Feb 23, 2018

DAVIE, FL - MAY 4: Jonathan Martin #71 of the Miami Dolphins talks ot the media after the rookie minicamp on May 4, 2012 at the Miami Dolphins training facility in Davie, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) thegrio.com — DAVIE, FL - MAY 4: Jonathan Martin #71 of the Miami Dolphins talks ot the media after the rookie minicamp on May 4, 2012 at the Miami Dolphins training facility in Davie, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Former NFL offensive lineman Jonathan Martin put up a post on Instagram that caused panic at a Los Angeles area high school.

“When you’re a bully victim and a coward, your options are suicide or revenge,” Martin posted in the cryptic Instagram story, which featured an image of a shotgun as well as the names of former Miami Dolphins teammates Richie Incognito and Mike Pouncey and his old high school, Harvard-Westlake.

Martin had accused his teammates back in 2013 of bullying him while he played in the NFL. Jonathan Martin claimed that he had been subjected to racist taunts and abuse at the hands of his teammates.

Martin, who is biracial, also spoke out in 2016 about his struggles with suicidal thoughts, admitting that he had struggled with his identity when he and his parents moved to a wealthier area in Los Angeles area.

“You learn to tone down your size & blackness by becoming shy, introverted, friendly, so you won’t scare the little rich white kids or their parents,” he wrote on social media at the time. “Neither black nor white people accept you because they don’t understand you. It takes away your self-confidence, your self-worth, your sanity.”

The high school shuts down

After being alerted to Jonathan Martin’s post, his former high school Harvard-Westlake shut down both of their campuses for security reasons. Martin was taken into custody, according to ABC.

Authorities at the tony private school weren’t going to take any chances, especially since it’s only been a days since the shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school left 17 people dead.

“Last evening, we learned of an Internet post that mentions Harvard-Westlake by name,” the school said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, and because the safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our top priority, we made the decision to close school today. We are working closely with law enforcement and will share more information when we are able.”

According to USA Today Jonathan Martin was trying to check himself into the hospital.

“The individual we believe responsible for the social media post in question has been detained and our investigation is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports.