Doug Martin‘s bizarre season with the Buccaneers appears to be over.
The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweeted the Tampa Bay running back would be stepping away from the team to deal with ‘personal issues’.
https://twitter.com/rapsheet/status/814207247567953920
The news today comes amid Martin being a healthy scratch from today’s practice as well as last week’s loss to the Saints that effectively dashed Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes.
Coming off a season in which Martin rushed for over 1,400 yards, the back failed to regain his form after a week two hamstring injury that knocked him out for six weeks.
Martin missed six games early in the season after injuring his hamstring in Week 2. He struggled to find space in his return, averaging 2.77 yards per carry from Weeks 10-15. For the season, Martin averaged 2.9 yards per carry, lowest in the NFL for backs with at least 70 carries, per NFL Research. While he continued to run hard, Martin’s production didn’t live up to expectations.
UPDATE: Martin has been suspended four games for failing a drug test. He’ll reportedly enter a treatment facility.