Yesterday, news came out that Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin left the team to undergo counseling and spend time with his family. Details were a bit sketchy but now they are coming to light. Appearantly, he was relentlessly teased by teammates and they called him “Big Weirdo”:
This wasn’t an abrupt action by Martin, who is Stanford-educated and the son of two lawyers who attended Harvard University. A source said Martin has tried dealing with a slew of indignities that crossed into personal and family insults, including being bestowed with the nickname of “Big Weirdo.”
The details of the final straw of what was first called a lunchroom prank have also emerged from Jay Glazer:
As first reported by FOX Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer, the latest taunt – a group of players stood up and left when he tried joining them for lunch – led to Martin getting up himself and walking out the door.
This is a really strange situation. NFL players and athletes in general are known to tease each other but never to the point where someone leave a professional team.
What is this, 7th grade gym class?