What happened to Blake Martinez? Ex-NFL LB banned from reselling Pokémon cards over scamming accusations

Blake Martinez had mostly been unknown to all but the most diehard of NFL fans, but he has attained national attention again - for the wrong reasons.

The former tackles co-leader was recently kicked out of online resale platform Whatnot over selling practices at Blake's Breaks, his trading card resale company that specializes on Pokemon and sports collectibles. Customers and fellow streamers had levied accusations of theft, among others.

Whatnot issued this statement:

"We really appreciate the community’s commitment to reporting trust & safety issues. Our priority is ensuring a fair and honest experience for customers and upholding our community guidelines. 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."

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A look at Blake Martinez's NFL career

Drafted 131st out of Stanford in 2016 by the Green Bay Packers, Blake Martinez immediately entered a starting role. He paired with Jake Ryan to form a wittily-named inside linebacker duo called "Jake and Blake", a reference to the Talladega Nights catchphrase "Shake and Bake".

He would complete his rookie season with 69 tackles (47 solo), four pass deflections, and a sack and interception. The Packers won the NFC North, but failed to reach the Super Bowl after losing at the Atlanta Falcons.

Martinez broke out the following season, recording a league-high 144 tackles (96 solo), eight pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and a sack, interception, and forced fumble each. However, the Packers missed the playoffs at 7-9.

His last two years in Green Bay was his best, as he recorded 299 tackles (188 solo) and eight sacks. The Packers won the NFC North again in 2019, but lost in the NFC Championship game at the San Francisco 49ers.

At the conclusion of his contract, Martinez became a free agent. He joined the New York Giants for three years and $30 million. In his first season, he continued to perform very well, recording 151 tackles (86 solo), three sacks, and two forced fumbles.

But he tore his ACL in 2021 and was forced to miss the season, leading to his release just before 2022 began. He soon joined the Las Vegas Raiders, but shockingly retired in the middle of the season to pursue his current trading card business, even appearing on Pawn Stars.