Despite having one of the best nicknames in all of sports, Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin is still asking people to stop calling him “Muscle Hamster.”
The latest plea from Martin came on Twitter after the NFL’s official Twitter account posted a video of Martin shedding tackles and darting upfield like a… very strong and small mammal.
@NFL Appreciate the shout out but can you refrain from using that name please?
— Doug Martin (@DougMartin22) August 26, 2015
Martin’s campaign to erase “Muscle Hamster” from the NFL lexicon goes as far back as his NFL career. Earlier this year, he called it “the worst nickname” (despite it being the best).
“The name ‘Muscle Hamster’ is the worst nickname possibly ever given to somebody,” Martin told USA Today at Bucs minicamp on Wednesday. “I hope it changes, and I hope that I play to a level where my nickname changes. That’s what my goals are.”
That stance is identical to the one that he had during his rookie season in 2012.
“It has to be the worst nickname ever,” Martin told NFL AM on Tuesday. “I can’t shake it. It started in college, started back in Boise, with our linemen. I have a lot of bigger friends, and they’d call me the Muscle Hamster because of how much I could lift in the weight room.”
Martin has suggested several inferior nicknames for himself in the past, including “Dougernaut,” “Muscle and Hustle” and “The Dougernator.”
Sadly, it seems like the NFL’s Twitter is going to stop using “Muscle Hamster.”
@DougMartin22 You got it. Looking good nonetheless.
— NFL (@NFL) August 26, 2015
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