Former Miami Dolphins player Jonathan Martin has been charged with five separate counts after posting a photo of a shotgun on social media last month, a picture that caused the temporary closure of his alma mater high school, Harvard-Westlake in Studio City, California.
According to legal papers obtained by TheWrap, Martin has been charged with four counts of criminal threats, as well as a count of carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle in a city — specifically, Glendale, California.
The criminal threats are felony charges, while the firearm charge is a misdemeanor, according to the papers, which state that Martin threatened James Dunleavy, Durall “TJ” Taylor, Richie Incognito and Mike Pouncey.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles County distict attorney said that Martin turned himself in on an arrest warrant Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He’s due back in court April 25 for a preliminary hearing.
If convicted as charged, Martin faces up to six years in custody.
Martin sent the high school into a panic by posting an Instagram story suggesting it could be the target of a shooting.
The photo featured a shotgun and the names of former teammates Incognito and Pouncey, and the renowned preparatory school.
Incognito, who is now with the Buffalo Bills, was the player at the heart of the bullying scandal against Martin in 2013, with Pouncey also accused. Incognito was later released from the Dolphins for harassing Martin, voluntarily checked himself into an Arizona treatment facility and sat out the 2014 season.
Martin’s Instagram post included a caption reading: “When you’re a bully victim and a coward, your options are suicide or revenge.”
Martin graduated from Harvard-Westlake in 2008 and joined the Dolphins in 2012. He has not played in the NFL since 2014.