Sportsnaut
The 5-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers won’t get a chance to improve their record until Monday night against the Detroit Lions on ESPN. While the Bucs’ fanbase will be paying close attention to what sets up as a key matchup against a fellow top NFC contender, football fans are instead paying their respects to a fallen NFL icon on Sunday.
According to several news outlets, including TMZ Sports, former Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders running back Doug Martin has passed away at the age of 36. Martin’s cause of death has not been revealed, nor has the actual time or date of his passing. Reports simply state that he passed away “recently.”
Measuring in at 5-foot-9, 210 pounds, his small, yet sturdy frame and tendency to keep his legs churning, Martin was referred to as the ‘Muscle Hamster’ during his heyday.
After a productive career at Boise State, Martin entered the league as the 31st overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and provided an immediate return on Tampa Bay’s investment. He’d burst out onto the scene with a career-best 1,454 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie.
Yet, Martin would suffer injuries that limited him to 17 games across his next two seasons before turning in yet another 1,402 rushing yards in 2015, earning him first-team All-Pro status. Martin compiled 5,536 rushing yards and 30 rushing touchdowns in his seven-year playing career, spending his final season with the Raiders in 2018.
Martin ranks fourth on the Buccaneers’ all-time rushing leaders list with 4,633 yards. The team released a statement addressing the passing of one of its “Top 50 Buccaneers.”
Rest in peace, Doug Martin ♥️ pic.twitter.com/G6UZrp46RG
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 19, 2025
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