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Dolphins' Martin Was Best Buddy For Local Boy

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Nationwide, Jonathan Martin has become the lightning rod for the popular debate about bullying, and whether the NFL's macho culture needs a makeover. But to some South Floridians, the beleaguered Dolphin is something more.

Yvonne Johnson first met Jonathan Martin when he played in the Orange Bowl for Stanford. When Martin was drafted by the Dolphins, he volunteered with Best Buddies, a program that paired him with Johnson's 23-year-old son A.J. who is developmentally disabled.

"Jonathan is my son's Best Buddy," said Johnson.

"A.J. just adores Jonathan. Jonathan has come and taken him bowling, and taken him to the movies and they go to dinner together," said Johnson, A.J.'s mother.

Martin even visited A.J.'s school in Southwest Miami-Dade, not to play basketball, but the sport he knows best.

"He ended up being here for like three or four hours, played in a flag football game with us. The guys just had a fantastic time," said Danny Cartaya, administrator at Our Pride Academy.

As Martin becomes entangled in the recent controversy, those who know him better feel his pain.

"You have a young man who has such humanity, that formed a relationship with a young man who is part of a community that is frequently harassed," said Johnson.

"It breaks my heart for him," said Cartaya adding, "I had an opportunity to meet him, not just meet him but actually spend some time with him and get to know him as a person. I thought he was a pretty spectacular person," said Cartaya.

Some in the NFL would say Martin should have stood up when bullied. New reports say fellow offensive lineman Richie Incognito was just trying to toughen him up.

"I don't know how that could build cohesion on a line. I don't know how that could build strength in a locker room. I don't know how…it just doesn't make sense to me," said Cartaya.

Martin's absence also doesn't make sense to his Best Buddy A.J.

Right now Martin's return to the Dolphins has no timetable.

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