School closed after Dolphins’ bullying victim reportedly posted a threat on Instagram

A harrowing social media post that reportedly came from the victim of the Dolphins’ bullying scandal caused his alma mater high school in California to shut down Friday.

It appears that former Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin, who in 2013 accused teammates of bullying, posted a photo on his Instagram story of a shotgun on a bed with 18 shells sprawled out around it.

The caption: “When you’re a bully victim & a coward, your options are suicide, or revenge.”

ABC has since reported that Martin, 28, has been taken into custody.

In the post, Martin mentions four people or groups, including current Dolphins offensive lineman Mike Pouncey and former offensive lineman Richie Incognito. He also tagged the Miami Dolphins and Harvard-Westlake High School, from which Martin graduated from the school in 2008 before playing his college career at Stanford.

The Instagram page that the post came from, @jmart, is private but verified. It also does not have a profile photo.

According to KTLA, the main campuses of the California preparatory school closed on Friday in response to “a possible security threat posed on social media.”

“Last evening, we learned of an Internet post that mentions Harvard-Westlake by name,” the school’s statement reads. “Out of an abundance of caution, and because the safety of our students, faculty, and staff is our top priority, we made the decision to close school today. We are working closely with law enforcement and will share more information when we are able.

This comes nine days after 17 people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Martin, an offensive tackle who played parts of two seasons with the Dolphins, ignited an embarrassing national saga in 2013 when he left the team and accused Pouncey, Incognito and ex-Dolphins guard John Jerry of racism and verbal and emotional abuse.

That launched an inquiry that lasted months by NFL-appointed investigator Ted Wells, who determined that Pouncey, Incognito and Jerry engaged in a pattern of abuse.

Incognito was suspended midway through the 2013 season and never played a down for the Dolphins again. Jerry left the team after the season, but Pouncey remains a valued — and highly paid — member of the organization.

Martin retired from football in 2015. He has since acknowledged he has battled depression and attempted suicide multiple times during his playing career.

The Dolphins declined comment on this matter. However, the Miami Herald has learned that the team’s director of security reached out to the NFL and made the league aware of the post, and the Dolphins are glad that whoever became aware of Martin’s post alerted the proper authorities.

This story was originally published February 23, 2018 at 3:14 PM with the headline "School closed after Dolphins’ bullying victim reportedly posted a threat on Instagram."