Jonathan Martin, Former 49er, says bullying led to suicidal thoughts

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Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Former San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Jonathan Martin is bringing his anti-bullying message to classrooms throughout the South Bay, speaking at Piedmont Middle School in San Jose on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016.
Former San Francisco 49ers Jonathan Martin is bringing his anti-bullying message to South Bay classrooms, speaking at Piedmont Middle School in San Jose on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016.
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Former San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Jonathan Martin is bringing his anti-bullying message to classrooms throughout the South Bay.

Martin spoke at Piedmont Middle School in San Jose where martin joined Congressman Mike Honda to take a stand against bullying.

Martin says he was harassed by three teammates when he played his rookie year for the Miami Dolphins in 2012.

He says the locker room bullying led to suicidal thoughts.

"You're 6 feet 5 inches, you're 320 pounds at the time. That's a big person. How could these words hurt? But for me, I was always more sensitive to that," explained Martin.

Martin says he suffers from major depressive disorder and anxiety, adding that the mental health issues led to him contemplate suicide after being bullied.

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