Former NFL linebacker Blake Martinez has been banned from the online marketplace Whatnot for allegedly scamming buyers, the company announced Friday.
Whatnot @WhatnotWe 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…
Whatnot did not release details on what transpired but noted there was a "comprehensive investigation" into Martinez's activity. The company also issued refunds to people impacted by the alleged infractions.
Martinez retired from the NFL after seven seasons last November to focus on selling Pokémon cards. Zak Keefer of The Athletic reported Martinez's business, Blake's Breaks, had done more than $11 million in earnings in the last year. The Blake's Breaks channel streamed 16 hours per day on Whatnot and boasted nearly 20 full-time employees as of last month.
While he has yet to comment on the ban, Martinez previously addressed scam allegations after one of his employees was caught using sleight-of-hand tricks on a stream.
"I understand the optics," Martinez said. "I understand how it looks, trust me. I know the type of business I run. I know the type of decisions I made across the board. I made a good amount of money—everybody knows, in the NFL—I knew stepping into this was going to have a target on my back.
"I know people that come in here, spend their hard-earned money that they could spend elsewhere—and I want this to be a safe space. I'm definitely going to take this as a learning experience … and I'm going to make an improvement."
