By admin 
The family of former Boise State and NFL running back Doug Martin has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the police officers, paramedics and city of Oakland, where Martin died while in police custody in October 2025.
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The lawsuit, which was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that Martin died from “restraint asphyxia caused by Oakland police officers” and “paramedics’ failure to provide timely medical care.”
Martin came to Boise State in 2007 and was a star running back in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, with back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns. He was described as the “heart and soul” of teams that went 38-2 his final three seasons, when he scored 47 touchdowns.
Martin went on to play in the NFL for seven years, earning two Pro Bowl invitations and 2015 first-team All-Pro honors with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before finishing his career after one season with his hometown team, the Oakland Raiders, in 2018.
The lawsuit stems from an incident in which police officers responded to a call for a break-in at a house in East Oakland at approximately 4 a.m. on Oct. 18. Upon arrival, police found Martin inside and subdued him after a “brief struggle,” according to a statement from the Oakland Police Department on Oct. 20.
The plaintiffs — Martins’ parents, Leslie and Douglas Martin — allege that “excessive force” used by the police department was a substantial factor in Martin’s death.
According to the complaint, Martin was suffering from a mental health crisis at his family home and fled after Leslie Martin called paramedics. He hid in the basement of a neighbor’s house two doors down, according to the lawsuit, which is where police found him.
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Martin’s family and sports agency, Athletes First, released a statement shortly after his death that Martin had privately been battling mental health issues that “profoundly affected his personal and professional life.”
According to the lawsuit, during his restraint, Martin was placed face down while “one or more officers pressed on his back.” After a short period of time, officers rolled Martin onto his side, which is when they noticed he was unconscious, the lawsuit says. However, the police officers believed Martin to be sleeping or that he was “pretending” to be asleep, according to the suit.
The lawsuit claims that by the time officers called for medical help, more than 15 minutes had passed since Martin had been unconscious, and that he did not receive immediate care upon the paramedics’ arrival.
Police bodycam footage was released in March that shows officers restraining Martin in a home gym before he eventually appears to be snoring.
By the time paramedics arrived, they couldn’t fit a gurney into the house, forcing police officers to carry Martin’ upstairs and out of the house. Once outside, paramedics determined that Martin had stopped breathing, removed his handcuffs and began CPR.
This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 3:12 PM with the headline “Former Boise State star died in Oakland police custody. His family filed a lawsuit.”
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