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Veteran linebacker Blake Martinez has decided to come out of retirement and make a return to the NFL, according to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz.
Just four months ago, Martinez said that he was finished with the NFL and retiring. Now, it seems like he’s had a change of heart.
Sources: Veteran LB Blake Martinez is coming out of retirement and is signing with the #Panthers, sources tell @BleacherReport.
Martinez, who has over 700 career tackles and 39 TFLs, was last with the Raiders after spending his first six years with the Packers and Giants. pic.twitter.com/3SpZlQMPHt
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 6, 2023
What led to this sudden change of plans? It turns out that his Pokémon live streaming empire took a major hit when allegations of rigged gambling started surfacing.
Martinez, who retired at the age of 29 to pursue his dream of running a Pokémon trading cards company, recently faced a permanent ban due to accusations of scamming Pokémon collectors.
Martinez originally entered the NFL as a 4th round pick in the 2016 Draft by the Packers. He recorded 706 career tackles, 39 of them for a loss, along with 4 interceptions, 22 passes defended, and 13 sacks.
He played for the Giants and Raiders prior to his retirement.