Former Oakland Raiders center Barret Robbins, who disappeared before the Super Bowl, has passed away at the age of 52.
The heartbreaking news was confirmed by the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday, March 27. No cause of death was immediately reported.
In an emotional statement, the Raiders said, "The Raiders Family is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Barret Robbins...The thoughts and condolences of the entire Raider Nation are with Barret's family and friends during this difficult time."
Robbins went missing the day before Super Sunday on January 26, 2003, which Oakland eventually lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the score of 48-21.
He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and while he returned to the team in time, he was deemed unable to play.
Talking to ESPN at the time, he shared that he convinced himself the Raiders already won and that he was celebrating; he even reached Tijuana. Super Bowl 37 was played in San Diego.
During that 2002 season, Robbins made the Pro Bowl and was named first-team All-Pro. He played nine games the next season in what was his final NFL campaign.
The pre-Super Bowl episode was not the only shocking mental-health-related incident, as a brawl with police in Miami Beach in 2005 led to him being shot three times, and he pleaded guilty to five charges, including attempted murder.
In 2016, he was charged with assaulting a woman and her daughter outside a Florida hotel, and in 2020, he was arrested three times in the span of a month in South Florida.
