Ex-Giants LB Blake Martinez is coming out of retirement to sign with the Panthers after Pokémon card scandal

After securing Bryce Young as the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, the Carolina Panthers were projecting to have a successful year this season, albeit it was nothing but their daydream. After going down in back-to-back games, the team is now sitting at the last spot of the NFC South with a 1-7 record.

Till Week 6, the Panthers were the only winless team in the NFL, and their lone victory this season came against the Houston Texans in Week 7. Ahead of the upcoming matches against some of the big teams, the franchise has decided to enroll linebacker Blake Martinez in their roster.

Blake Martinez signs with the Panthers

Blake enjoyed his last appearance in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9 of the 2022 season before deciding to take a U-turn and signing with the Panthers. He had his first workout with the team on October 25 and joined as a member of the practice squad on Tuesday.

According to David Newton of ESPN, the Panthers’ head coach Frank Reich and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero didn’t rule out the possibility of their new members heading to the field for Thursday’s game against the Chicago Bears. Following his first practice, the LB also revealed his determination to shine bright on the field.

“Every competitor wants every chance they get to go and play. Any opportunity I get I’ll gladly take. There’s obviously a process to it. I feel like if you went to anyone and said, ‘Hey, you want to play on Thursday night football?’ They’d be, ‘Hell, yeah!’ No matter who it is,” he said via ESPN.

Blake started his NFL journey with the Green Bay Packers in 2016 by being selected by them as a fourth-round pick and enjoyed four straight prolific seasons with them. In 2020, he signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the New York Giants before suffering a torn ACL in 2021 and eventually getting released from the team after two seasons. Last October, the vet joined the Raiders’ practice squad before hanging up his cleats.

Blake Martinez got into Pokémon card scandal

Blake tried to make use of his business acumen by becoming a reseller of Pokémon and sports trading cards and established Blake’s Breaks for it. His business turned out so well that the company accumulated a staggering $11.5 million in less than a year.

However, the LB later reportedly started to intentionally remove valuable cards from packs to resell them for a comparatively higher price. Consequently, he was expelled from the online marketplace Whatnot for the accusations of theft from orders of the buyers as well as sleight of hand, and trading card pack manipulation.

The ex-Giants star addressed these allegations before being banned by the marketplace saying he had a “target on his back” as an ex-NFL player having business in the trading card industry.

He also said the business “wasn’t about money”, instead, it was more about “building a team, building a business, and proving to everybody out there that you can do it”. However, he couldn’t avoid the blow of getting banned eventually.

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