Parents of former NFL player Doug Martin allege excessive police force led to his wrongful death

FILE - Oakland Raiders running back Doug Martin looks on during an NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Aug. 15, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)

The parents of former All-Pro NFL running back Doug Martin say excessive force by police and delayed medical care led to his death last year, according to a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Oakland, California, several police officers and an ambulance company.

In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court, Leslie and Douglas Martin say their son was experiencing a mental health crisis in October when responding Oakland police officers held him "face down while one or more officers pressed on his back.†The lawsuit alleges this restraint was a “substantial factor†in causing his death.

The Associated Press