Former NFL linebacker Blake Martinez made nearly $30 million during his seven-year career, but after retiring last season, he’s making plenty of money after starting his own business in the world of Pokemon card sales.
Martinez told TheAthletic.com earlier this year that his retirement came when he realized he could do very well financially in the Pokemon business, and do so without risk of injury.
This week, however, his business has taken a huge hit after he has become embroiled in controversy over the last week following a series of accusations from customers and fellow card game streamers.
Now, accusations of scams and other misconduct have been brought against Martinez. Claims state he deliberately removed high-value cards from packs sold to customers in order to re-sell them individually for more money. He’s also been said to have manipulated live bets on his channel.
As a result, his channel ‘Blake’s Breaks’ has been banned from doing business on Whatnot, a popular streaming marketplace for trading card games.
Nintendo Life stated Whatnot concluded an internal investigation which has resulted in the removal of the Blake’s Breaks channel from the platform, as well as the removal of “individual employees involved in misconduct” and a refund for “all buyers impacted by the infractions.”
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Whatnot has put out a statement over the matter:
“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.”
Last month, Martinez said his business, Blake’s Breaks, has brought in $11.5 million in revenue so far.
A fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft, Martinez tallied 706 combined tackles, 39 tackles for a loss, and 13 sacks across six-and-a-half seasons with the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and Las Vegas Raiders.
