Jonathan Martin says he attempted suicide ‘multiple times’ during NFL career

August 24, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Jonathan Martin (71) during the third quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Levi
August 24, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Jonathan Martin (71) during the third quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Levi

The NFL has a number of issues it needs to deal with away from the game, namely a problem with current and former players attempting suicide. 

One of the biggest plagues on human life is the quest to end it. Whether it’s someone going out and killing for rage or passion, or if it’s someone killing themselves, death is an issue that is hard to deal with but can’t go unnoticed.

That’s something the NFL needs to get a handle on. The league has a number of issues that it needs to deal with but perhaps the biggest issue the league has is the health of it’s current and former players.

In a Facebook post this week, former NFL offensive lineman Jonathan Martin admitted to attempting suicide more than once during his NFL career:

"Your job leads you to attempt to kill yourself on multiple occasions. Your self-perceived social inadequacy dominates your every waking moment and thought. You are petrified of going to work. You either sleep 12, 14, 16 hours a day when you can, or not at all. You drink too much, smoke weed constantly, have trouble focusing on doing your job, playing the sport you grew up obsessed with."

Here’s the full post from Martin:

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It’s yet another chilling look inside the mind of a football player and what it’s really like to be a part of the game. There are romanticized angles to being an NFL player, like appearing on the cover of Madden or doing guest hosting duties on pregame shows during your team’s bye week. But not everyone is Rob Gronkowski off the field, and some players have real struggles that really effect their lives.

Just this month, a former quarterback in Erik Kramer tried to kill himself and another former player in Jonathan Martin has admitted to trying to do the same multiple times in the past. It raises yet another social issue that the NFL had better address the proper way sooner rather than later.

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