Boise State Star Doug Martin Dies in Police Custody at 36

If you drove past Albertsons Stadium on Sunday, October 19 you saw the stadium lights on and a tribute to Doug Martin on the jumbotron. The news that the 36-year-old former Bronco and NFL star passed unexpectedly shocked and saddened fans.

Now details surrounding the Boise State legend’s death have started to emerge. Multiple media outlets in the Bay Area including KTVU, San Francisco’s Fox affiliate and the East Bay Times, which is a media partner with ABC 7 News in San Francisco are saying they’ve confirmed that Martin died in police custody on Saturday morning.

KTVU explains that police were called to a break-in around 4:15 on Saturday morning and briefly struggled with the suspect while trying to take him into custody. The suspect, which KTVU says they confirmed was Martin, experienced a medical emergency at the scene and became unresponsive. Paramedics responded to the scene, provided care and transported Martin to the hospital where he later died.

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The officers involved are on administrative leave, which is department policy when a death occurs while officers are responding to a call. Details of the nature of Martin’s medical emergency have not been released. There are also few details about the nature of the struggle between the former running back and law enforcement.

Meanwhile, people who knew Martin from his time as a Bronco have posted tributes on social media remembering him as a kind, humble man.