Early Wednesday morning, 26-year-old former NFL offensive tackle Jonathan Martin posted a long note to his Facebook and Twitter pages that details what appears to be a long struggle with depression, including a passage in which he alludes to multiple suicide attempts.In the note, Martin talks about his struggles with identity after growing up as one of the few minorities attending rich private schools in Los Angeles."You've been told you aren't 'black enough' your entire life," he writes. "It nearly destroys you, many times, not fitting in."Martin admits creating an athlete persona in order to fit in. That persona nearly destroyed him once he entered the macho world of the NFL. "Your job leads you to attempt to kill yourself on multiple occasions," he writes.
Martin was a 2012 second round pick of the Miami Dolphins after playing collegiately at Stanford. He played one full season with the Dolphins before leaving the team midway through his second season amid a controversy that he was allegedly being harassed by teammates, mostly notably Richie Incognito. In 2014, the Dolphins traded Martin to the 49ers, who then released him a year later. He was claimed by the Carolina Panthers earlier this year, but Martin decided to retired a few days later citing a back injury.If you don't know… Now you know pic.twitter.com/hE3vimkXdu
— Jonathan A. Martin (@J_Martin71) August 26, 2015