One of the more interesting reasons for an NFL retirement came from former Green Bay Packers, New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Blake Martinez, and now he wants a second chance at playing in the league.
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Martinez, 29, was a fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He decided to retire on Nov. 10, 2022.
The reason?
He sold an exceedingly rare Pokemon card. He provided an update on his new career in February, saying he made over $5 million selling cards. He started a company, Blake's Breaks, and became a massive channel on the service Whatnot.
That number grew to $11.5 million by July.
After retiring from professional football in 2022 to focus on the trading card industry, former pro linebacker Blake Martinez's company Blake's Breaks has earned $11.5 million in revenue from Pokémon cards. pic.twitter.com/qK7shzomeT
— IGN (@IGN) July 17, 2023
Well, in August, it came out that he was accused of scamming buyers and was banned from Whatnot.
"After a comprehensive investigation into Blakesbreaks' operations, we have decided to permanently remove the seller from our platform, including the individual employees involved in misconduct," Whatnot's statement read.
"We have refunded all buyers impacted by the infractions. If you believe you were affected by an incident on his streams, please submit the details here, and we will investigate."
Martinez had a workout with the Carolina Panthers on Wednesday.
𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧: The #Panthers are working out former #Giants LB Blake Martinez, per @TomPelissero
Martinez briefly retired from the #NFL to pursue trading Pokémon cards, but was permanently banned from doing so after he was accused of scamming people.
Looks like he’s making an… pic.twitter.com/lgLFXxKu6L
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) October 25, 2023
Before he was banned from Whatnot, he posted a video in June saying he didn't intend to make a comeback.
In his career, Martinez earned nearly $30 million, most of which came from the New York Giants after he signed a three-year deal with them in 2020.
The tenure didn't last long, though. Martinez tore his ACL three games into the 2021 season and was released that offseason.
He ended his career after playing four games for the Raiders.
"Every single day when I wake up, my shoulder doesn't hurt, and my back doesn't hurt anymore," Martinez told CNBC Make It. "When all that hurts are my fingers from opening, like, 1,000 packs of cards per day, I think, 'I'm going to keep doing this.'"
In his career, Martinez has logged 4,954 snaps, 12 sacks, 50 pressures, 532 tackles and four interceptions.
