Former NFL player Blake Martinez made headlines when he retired from football to pursue a career in selling Pokémon Cards. His company, Blake’s Breaks, saw a meteoric rise, generating a staggering $11.5 million in revenue within a year. However, recent reports have cast a shadow over his success, with accusations of fraudulent activities surrounding his trading card business.
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Martinez, who made around $30,000,000 by playing the NFL, called it quits on his football career quite early, as he saw a massive opportunity to rake in the moolah with his Pokémon Card selling business. However, his future in the same business is now looking gloomy for a variety of reasons.
Blake Martinez Permanently Banned Amid Allegations of Scamming in Pokémon Card Reselling Business
Former NFL linebacker turned Pokémon card reseller, Blake Martinez, is facing a major setback as he has reportedly been permanently banned from the popular trading card platform, Whatnot. The ban comes in the wake of multiple allegations of scamming collectors and manipulating trading card packs within his company, Blake’s Breaks.
The controversy surrounding Martinez’s business venture started with accusations from customers and fellow streamers, alleging practices such as theft from customer orders, sleight of hand, and trading card pack manipulation. These accusations have cast a shadow over the meteoric rise of Blake’s Breaks, which reportedly made $11.5 million in revenue in less than a year.
One particular incident involves a former seller on Whatnot, known as ‘Sakura’s Card Shop,’ who posted on a public Whatnot Discord channel in April, seeking recourse against Blake’s Breaks. The seller claimed that Blake’s Whatnot channel removed cards from his order that he had pulled live on stream, in a tactic that allegedly allowed Blake’s Breaks to retain high-value cards they purportedly stole. The buyer’s only recourse, according to the poster, was to obtain a refund for the value of the pack itself.
Y’all know something else that’s crazy… I made a complaint about breaks Blake’s breaks stealing alt arts from a local who bought packs… whatnot kept deleting my messages in discord. They won’t dare touch their pretty little boy.
Damage control…. If this was a small streamer… pic.twitter.com/ind4c2GYz2— 🌸Sakuras Card Shop🌸 (@SakurasCardShop) April 17, 2023
In response to mounting pressure and public outcry, Whatnot conducted a comprehensive investigation, leading to the permanent removal of Blake’s Breaks from the platform, as well as individual employees involved in the alleged misconduct. The fallout has been severe, with the once-thriving Pokémon card reselling empire now facing uncertainty and a tarnished reputation.
As per a Twitter post from Dov Klieman, in a statement from Whatnot, says:
“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 permanently remove the seller from our platform, including the individual employees involved in misconduct.”
Report: Former NFL LB Blake Martinez has reportedly been permanently banned from reselling Pokémon cards on Whatnot over scamming collectors, according to @Dexerto
Statement from Whatnot: “After a comprehensive investigation into Blakesbreaks’ operations we have decided to… https://t.co/EwLWqQqGfQ pic.twitter.com/KBhAdqxraC
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 5, 2023
As the trading card community closely follows the developments, the future of Blake’s Breaks remains uncertain amid the allegations of scamming and manipulation. Only time will tell how this controversy will impact the once-thriving Pokémon card reselling empire and its founder’s reputation.
Blake Martinez Responds to Pokémon Card Scam Allegations
Amid the controversy surrounding his Pokémon card reselling business, Blake Martinez has finally spoken out to address the allegations. In a statement made during a live stream, Martinez defended his business practices while acknowledging the optics of the situation. He said:
“I understand the optics…I understand how it looks, trust me. I know the type of business I run… 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.”
He defended the person running the break, referred to as “Snee,” insisting that there was no ill intent. However, Martinez announced that Snee, a college student, would no longer be streaming for his company. The breaker, PokeSnee, issued an apology, denying any malicious intent during the stream and expressing a commitment to the community and Blake’s Breaks.
Martinez did not outright confirm or deny the allegations but announced the removal of streamer ‘Snee’ from his channel. As the community continues to scrutinize his Pokémon card venture, the former NFL player’s response is closely watched for its impact on the unfolding scandal.
