Former Tampa Bay general manager and current ESPN NFL analyst Mark Dominik sounded off on the suspension of Bucs running back Doug Martin, who failed a league drug test for PED usage. The drug has been reported to be Adderall, an amphetamine, but it is possible that Martin has other drug issues that haven’t been reported, too, because he admitted that he was going to seek treatment at a rehabilitation facility.

Dominik, who traded up to draft Martin at the bottom of the first round in 2012, actually wasn’t surprised by the news of the suspension following the two-time Pro Bowler’s sub-500-yard season – his third such season in the past four years.

Bucs RB Doug Martin – Photo by: Getty Images

“Disappointed, not surprised,” Dominik said. “I don’t think surprised is a fair word to use, certainly disappointed. Let’s be honest, these are his choices and I’m just hopeful that whatever help he’s really getting now is real and genuine, and that he spends the time to make sure he’s got himself in place.”

Dominik wouldn’t elaborate any more on Martin’s drug issues, but the fact he wasn’t surprised by the suspension alludes to the fact that there were likely prior concerns or possible occurrences of past usage by Martin during his earlier years with the Bucs when Dominik was the G.M. through the 2013 season.

“My first thought when I heard it was extremely disappointed, and I felt for Tampa because they committed to him and he didn’t live up to his end of the deal,” Dominik said. “I felt bad for the fans, I felt bad for the organization and I was disappointed in Doug.”

Martin, who rushed for 1,402 yards and was the league’s second-leading rusher in 2015, which was the last year of his rookie contract, signed a five-year deal worth $35.75 million and included $15 million in guaranteed money. In hindsight, knowing about Martin’s past issues, the Bucs could have gone a safer route by simply picking up his fifth-year option for $5.621 million in 2016 prior to the 2015 season rather than signing him to such a rich extension.

However, the team ultimately lucked out from a salary cap standpoint given Martin’s drug usage. After Martin rushed for a career-low 421 yards and three touchdowns in eight games, his suspension voids the $7 million in guaranteed money he’s due in 2017. Martin had a paltry 2.9-yard average while playing in eight games in 2016 and failed to record a run of 20 yards or more despite 144 carries.

The Boise State product missed six games due to a hamstring injury, in addition to the New Orleans and Carolina games at the end of the season due to his positive drug test. Martin was benched for the Saints game as the team received late word that he would face a suspension, but his actual suspension didn’t start until the season finale against Carolina.

Bucs RB Doug Martin & head coach Dirk Koetter – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter told PewterReport.com at the Senior Bowl that the team had not yet made a decision about keeping Martin or releasing him. Tampa Bay doesn’t owe Martin his $7 million base salary unless he makes the 53-man roster.

“That would be a Jason [Licht] question and one we couldn’t talk about today anyway because we don’t know,” Koetter said. “Health plays into every player on your roster. Some guys have a knack for being able to stay healthy, I mean look at [left tackle] Donovan Smith who’s played every single snap for two years, and I knock on wood as I say that. Doug, when he’s healthy, has been an excellent performer in this league and a high-level performer.

“When Doug is not healthy, there’s not much he or any coach can do about it. In 2015, both Doug and Charles Sims had excellent years and they stayed healthy, and in 2016 they didn’t. That’s really my thoughts on that and anything else that’s going to happen is yet to be determined.”