NFL star who made millions from Pokeman cards signs for Carolina Panthers
NFL linebacker Blake Martinez has returned to the sport after signing for the Carolina Panthers.
It comes just months after Martinez retired from the sport from making millions selling Pokemon cards, before being banned from marketplaces after allegedly selling fakes. Martinez made the surprise decision to retire from the NFL aged 28 while being one of the better linebackers in the league, walking away from the sport after selling a rare Pikachu card for almost £550,000.
He then claimed that he had made over £10 million after getting involved in the business of trading and selling Pokemon cards, before it all seemingly came crashing down just a few months later. Martinez was banned from the WhatNotCard selling marketplace for "misconduct" in August, when he was accused of swapping out higher-value cards for less valuables.
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In a statement released by WhatNotCard, they said: "After a comprehensive investigation into Blakesbreaks operations, we have decided to permanently remove the seller from our platform, including the individual employees involved in the misconduct."
After this, it appears Martinez has given up selling Pokemon cards as a business, and has decided to return to the NFL after working out and signing with the Panthers.
Martinez has had a solid career as a middle linebacker in the league over the last seven years, being a mainstay alongside Aaron Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers for four years.
Blake Martinez has secured a return to the NFL (Getty Images)He then spent two years with the New York Giants before being with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, when he announced his retirement at the end of the season.
When he retired from the NFL, Martinez said: "CNBC, “ Every single day when I wake up, my shoulder doesn’t hurt anymore. When all that hurts are my fingers from opening, like, 1,000 packs of cards per day, I think, I’m going to keep doing this."
Martinez had numerous workouts with the Panthers before signing on Monday, initially being signed to the practice squad where he is expected to be signed to the 53-man roster in the coming days.
The Panthers are among the league strugglers this season, with a 1-7 record despite drafting Bryce Young as the number one overall quarterback from Alabama.
The team will not receive a boost from the upcoming draft either, with them trading away their first and second-round picks to the Chicago Bears to move up and select Young - with the latter team potentially in a position to select Caleb Williams from USC.
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