The Career of Raiders Robbins Had a Sad Ending
Hall of Famer Jim Otto is considered the best center in the history of the Oakland-Los Angeles-Las Vegas Raiders but had things gone differently, Barret Robbins could be right there when being compared to the famed Double-0.
The Raiders have had a long time of exceptional centers, including Otto, Dave Dalby, Don Mosebar, and Rodney Hudson, but had things gone differently, Robbins might have been the best of them all.
However, one of the most negative incidents in franchise history has Robbins reviled by many fans of Raider Nation.
“I think he’s the best lineman in the NFL,” noted football writer Peter King told other reporters on a bus headed to Super Bowl XXXVII, where the Raiders were about to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Unfortunately, Robbins didn’t even suit up for the game.
The 6-3, 350-pound Robbins was selected by the Raiders out of Texas Christian in the second round (No. 49 overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft, and in his second season he took over as the starting center for the Silver and Black, starting 78 of 80 games over the next five seasons.
After missing 12 games because of a right knee injury in 2001, Robbins was back better than ever the following season, when he was selected first-team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl as the Raiders made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
However, Robbins reinjured his knee in the AFC Championship Game and an assistant trainer told him a few days before the Super Bowl that if he didn’t get better, he might not be able to play in the game.
Unknown to most, Robbins suffered from depression and bipolar disorder and had stopped taking his medicine. He disappeared in the days leading up to the Super Bowl in San Diego and apparently went on a drinking binge across the Mexican border in Tijuana.
“A lot of guys thought what Barret did was unforgivable at the time, but as the years pass you come to realize that he had serious issues, that not everything was under his control,” Raider wide receiver Tim Brown said.
“His name comes up from time to time, when people ask me about that Super Bowl. A lot of guys thought what Barret did was unforgivable at the time, but as the years pass you come to realize that he had serious issues, that not everything was under his control. Everyone knew Barret was unstable even then, but I think now everybody has a much better understanding of the things he was dealing with.”
Two seasons earlier, with Robbins dominating the interior line including standout defensive tackle Warren Sapp, the Silver and Black routed the Bucs, 45-0, as running backs Tyrone Wheatley and Napoleon Kauffman both rushed for two touchdowns and the Raiders piled up 242 yards rushing.
However, in Super Bowl XXXVII, the Bucs trounced the Raiders, 48-21, with long-snapper Adam Treu replacing Robbins at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
Robbins showed up at the Raiders hotel the night before the game, but Coach Bill Callahan sent him away to be with his family. When he woke up the next morning his wife, Marissa, asked him if he knew where he was supposed to be.
“Church?’ Robbins asked.
Robbins regained his starting position with the Raiders in 2003 but was released before the next season after testing positive for steroids. Since his career ended, he has been arrested several times.
“I’m doing real well,” Robbins said in an interview a few years ago. “I’m happy to be where I’m at. Being comfortable in my own skin is very underrated when it comes to dealing with substance abuse and being bipolar. I’ve come a long way in the last year. It’s good to have a fresh start. I got to get some emotions out and put some things in the past, so I’m very grateful.
“Some football guys get together and drink, some guys get together and smoke, some guys get together and do drugs. I did all of them. … I get depressed on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s hard for me to watch. I think about it all the time. I hit myself in the head and say, ‘Damn, if I just could have done this or would have done that.’”
Raider Nation feels the same way.
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