In the U.S., everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty, but in the unusual world of Pokémon trading cards, collectors are much quicker to judge.
Blake Martinez, who retired from the NFL after seven seasons to pursue the sale of Pokémon cards full-time, has been banned from the marketplace app Whatnot after allegations Martinez and his company had carried out a scam.
Martinez, who played for the Green Bay Packer and New York Giants and had just signed a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 when he decided to retire and dive full-time into Pokémon cards, has since made millions in the profession.
The former linebacker founded a company, Blakes Breaks, that employed 20 people and live-streamed employees opening packs of trading cards 16 hours a day. According to GiantsWire.com, Martinez’s company had posted more than $11 million in total sales.
Martinez certainly had no regrets about changing professions, saying earlier this year, “Every single day when I wake up, my shoulder doesn’t hurt and my back doesn’t hurt anymore. When all that hurts are my fingers from opening, like, 1,000 packs of cards per day, I think, ‘I’m going to keep doing this.’”
But Martinez and his company came under fire when a popular YouTuber named Rattle Pokémon ran an eight-part series alleging scams on the part of Martinez and his employees.
That led Whatnot to permanently ban Martinez, Blakes Breaks and its employees from the marketplace.
We really appreciate the community’s commitment to reporting trust & safety issues. Our priority is ensuring a fair and honest experience for customers and upholding our community guidelines. After a comprehensive investigation into Blakesbreaks’ operations we have decided to…
— Whatnot (@Whatnot) August 4, 2023
In a video on Reddit, Martinez acknowledged that the “optics” of one of his team’s card breaks did not look good, but he did not admit he or his company had done anything wrong.
“I made a good amount of money—everybody knows, in the NFL—I knew stepping into this was going to have a target on my back,” Martinez said.
“I know people that come in here, spend their hard-earned money that they could spend elsewhere — and I want this to be a safe space. I’m definitely going to take this as a learning experience … and I’m going to make an improvement.”
Martinez, who led the NFL in tackles in 2017, made $28 million during his NFL playing career.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.