Former Oakland Raiders center Barret Robbins died, the Las Vegas Raiders confirmed Friday, March 27. He was 52. No cause of death was immediately known.
“The Raiders Family is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Barret Robbins. … The thought and condolences of the entire Raider Nation are with Barret’s family and friends during this difficult time,” the Raiders said in a statement.
Robbins famously went missing from the team in the days leading up to Super Bowl 37, which Oakland lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-21.
Eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Robbins went missing the day before Super Sunday on Jan. 26, 2003. He returned to the team in time but was deemed unable to play. Robbins later told ESPN that he’d convinced himself the Raiders already won and that he was celebrating; he even reached Tijuana, Mexico, although he could not recall why he went there. Super Bowl 37 was played in San Diego.
“I mean, this was the biggest game of my life,” Robbins told ESPN months later. “This was everything I had worked for as a child, as a young man, as a collegiate athlete and going into the pros, this is everything I had worked for and … it’s unbelievable to me.”
Robbins completed a 30-day stint in rehab, where he was treated for bipolar disorder and alcohol abuse after the episode before, returning to the team. Robbins later told HBO’s Real Sports he would enter manic episodes for weeks at a time.