Former NFL linebacker Blake Martinez made nearly $30 million during his seven-year career, but after retiring last season, he’s making plenty of money in a very different field.
Martinez has started his own business in the world of Pokemon card sales, and he says that world is becoming as lucrative for him as football was.
Martinez told TheAthletic.com that his retirement came when he realized he could do very well financially in the Pokemon business, and do so without risk of injury.
“I just asked myself, do I want to keep starting over from ground zero with football, and keep destroying my body, or do I want to start over from ground zero here, and do something I can actually sustain for a long time? I loved football. But what I found out was I loved building and running my own team even more,” Martinez said.
Martinez said his business, Blake’s Breaks, has brought in $11.5 million in revenue so far. He may end up making more from dealing in collectibles than he made playing football.