LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin was charged Tuesday with threatening two former teammates who had harassed him in the NFL and with threatening his former prep school classmates, Los Angeles County prosecutors said.
FILE–In this Dec. 16, 2012, file photo, Miami Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin stands on the sidelines during the Dolphins’ NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Miami. Prosecutors say the former lineman has pleaded not guilty to threatening former teammates who had harassed him in the NFL. Los Angeles County prosecutors say Martin appeared in court Tuesday, March 20, 108, and pleaded not guilty to charges of making criminal threats and carrying a loaded firearm. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, file)
Martin pleaded not guilty to four felony counts of making criminal threats and a misdemeanor charge of carrying a loaded firearm, district attorney’s office spokesman Greg Risling said.
A post on Martin’s Instagram page last month showed a shotgun and referred by name to the private Harvard-Westlake prep school in Los Angeles that he once attended.
The post also included mentions of the Instagram usernames of former Miami Dolphins players Richie Incognito and Mike Pouncey and said suicide and revenge were the only options for a victim of bullying.
Martin left the Dolphins midseason in 2013 after accusing teammates of bullying. An NFL investigation found that Incognito, Pouncey and teammate John Jerry engaged in persistent harassment directed at Martin.
Incognito was suspended for the final eight games and sat out the 2014 season before joining the Buffalo Bills.
Pouncey was released by Miami last week and agreed to a two-year contract Monday with the Los Angeles Chargers
The NFL’s investigation also found that teammates threatened to rape Martin’s sister, called him a long list of slurs and bullied him for not being “black enough.” Martin is black and Incognito is white.
Court documents say Martin “did willfully and unlawfully threaten to commit a crime which would result in death and great bodily injury” of Pouncey and Incognito. Both Pouncey and Incognito feared for their own safety and the safety of their families, the documents said.
Prosecutors said Martin also had a loaded firearm in his vehicle in Glendale, but court papers provided no other details.
The name of Martin’s attorney was not immediately known. Prosecutors said he is due back in court next month and faces up to six years in prison if he’s convicted.
By MICHAEL BALSAMO
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