Doug Martin’s parents sued Oakland, the police department, and Falck Northern California, alleging police restraint and a delayed paramedic response contributed to his death. They say Martin died from restraint asphyxia after a mental-health crisis on Oct. 18.
When Leslie Martin called for help on Oct. 18, she says she wasn’t expecting the call to end in a death warrant. Her son, former NFL running back Doug Martin, was in the middle of a mental-health crisis, according to the lawsuit he later died from.
The family filed the suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. In it. Leslie and Douglas Martin allege Oakland police played a role in what they describe as a fatal outcome. and they claim paramedics failed to respond quickly enough to calls for medical care. The suit says Martin was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The lawsuit states that after Leslie called for paramedics, Martin fled and hid in a neighbor’s house two doors away. Oakland police later found him in the basement.
From there, the allegations turn sharply. The suit says law enforcement physically restrained Martin and placed him “face down while one or more officers pressed on his back.” When officers turned him onto his side. he was unresponsive. The lawsuit alleges officers believed he was “sleeping or pretending to be asleep.” It also alleges that at least one officer requested medical assistance while Martin was still unresponsive.
The family’s central claim is medical and time-based. The suit states Martin’s death was restraint asphyxia. which the plaintiffs allege was “caused by Oakland police officers and the FALCK NORCAL paramedics’ failure to provide timely medical care.” They say Falck Northern California paramedics arrived about 15 minutes after the call for service was made. and that when they arrived. they “did not promptly provide medical care.”.
“They just want to know what happened,” John Burris, a lawyer representing the family, told The Athletic. “Here’s a situation where the mother was calling for help. He was emotionally out of it, and she was calling for help.”
Burris said the family is seeking accountability for the sequence of events. “When you call for help and the police come, it’s not a death warrant. You don’t expect the person to die.”
In the suit, Burris also pointed to what he described as an outside medical assessment. He said an independent pathologist told Martin’s parents that restraint asphyxia may have been their son’s cause of death. That pathologist’s name was not provided in the account.
The family is also asking the court to consider what Martin’s brain health may have looked like after years of football. Burris said Martin’s mother sent her son’s brain to Boston. where the Boston University CTE Center is based. to determine whether he developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy—a disease that can be diagnosed only after death. Burris said the pathologist told him a CTE finding “really has no consequence as it relates to the cause of death. ” but the family is still pursuing a clearer picture of Martin’s brain health.
Alongside wrongful death, the parents are seeking damages including hospital and medical expenses, coroner’s fees, funeral and burial expenses, loss of support, and loss of familial relationship, among several others.
Oakland Police Department policy is not to comment publicly on pending litigation. The city attorney’s office was also directed and did not comment on the case. Representatives for Falck Northern California could not immediately be reached for comment.
Doug Martin, an Oakland native, closed his NFL career with the then-Oakland Raiders in 2018. Before that, he spent six seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who selected him in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
His professional timeline includes a four-game suspension in 2016 for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy after testing positive for Adderall. and he revealed plans to enter a treatment program. He finished his NFL run with more than 5,300 rushing yards and was named to two Pro Bowl teams. He played college football at Boise State.
Doug Martin Oakland police Falck Northern California restraint asphyxia mental health crisis wrongful death lawsuit Northern District of California John Burris Boston University CTE Center chronic traumatic encephalopathy