Barret Robbins, the former center for the Oakland Raiders known for his tumultuous journey both on and off the gridiron, has passed away at the age of 52. Robbins, whose career was marked by both triumph and turmoil, spent nine seasons in the NFL, dedicating his entire professional tenure to the Raiders after being drafted from Texas Christian University (TCU) in 1995.

During his career, Robbins played in 121 games and earned the distinction of being a Pro Bowler. However, his legacy was overshadowed by an infamous incident in 2003 when he disappeared ahead of the Super Bowl, leading to his ban from participating in the game.

The news of Robbins’ passing was initially shared by his former teammate, Tim Brown. On Thursday night, Brown took to social media to express his sorrow, revealing, “It’s with great regret I tell you I just received a call from Marisa Robbins (his ex-wife) informing me that Raiders All-Pro center Barret Robbins passed away overnight. Thankfully, he passed peacefully in his sleep.”

Brown continued, urging, “Please pray for their girls, his family, and the many teammates who will be affected by this! It’s unfortunate that his life was never the same after he was not allowed to play in the Super Bowl. Rest Peacefully BR, you deserve it!”

Robbins’ life was marked by personal battles. He was diagnosed with depression during his college years at TCU, and later, with bipolar disorder. Despite his achievements on the field, these challenges frequently manifested in off-field issues, contributing to the complexity of his life story.

Former Oakland Raiders player Barret Robbins (pictured in 2003) has died at the age of 52

Robbins’ death was first announced by his former Raiders teammate Tim Brown on Thursday

Robbins was diagnosed with depression while in college at TCU and later bipolar disorder and, for all his success as a player, he was the subject of numerous off-field problems.

None, however, are more high profile than his disappearance from the Raiders team hotel on the eve of their 2003 Super Bowl against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in San Diego.

Two days before he was due to start at center for the Raiders, a driver dropped him back at the team hotel. He said bye to his wife Marisa, who was staying in the hotel reserved for the players’ families, and went inside.

But Marisa got a call the next morning from a Raiders staffer, who was asking where Robbins was. He was in his room at bed check the night before but had not arrived for the team’s morning meeting and was nowhere to be found.

It wasn’t the first time he had gone missing, either. During his second season with the Raiders in 1996, a disoriented Robbins was found wandering around the team hotel in Denver and missed their game the following day.

In January 2001, he went AWOL again in the days before the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens. He surfaced after around 24 hours and started that game.

Robbins didn’t surface at the Super Bowl until 8pm on the night before the game. He was so incoherent that furious coach Bill Callahan removed him from the team and told him to go to the family hotel. The Raiders got crushed 48-21.

Robbins’ wife later said he told her he had been out partying all night in Tijuana because he thought the Raiders had already won the Super Bowl. 

Speaking about that incident in an interview with a Dallas radio show, he said: ‘I was going through a manic episode that lasted more than two weeks.

‘When we went to the Super Bowl I was having to shoot my foot up, going through acupuncture, going through a lot of pain. Pain is a big trigger when it comes to bipolar. That was something I was going through, as well as self-medicating.’

Robbins, pictured in court in 2011, had a number of legal troubles throughout his life

He would go on to spend 30 days at the Betty Ford Center, where he was diagnosed as bipolar, but the Raiders and the NFL would turn their backs on Robbins in 2003 amid accusations of performance-enhancing drug use. 

On Christmas Eve in 2004, police alleged Robbins punched a security guard who was trying to keep him out of a hotel bar in San Francisco. He was arrested on misdemeanor charges of battery, trespassing and being drunk in public.

In 2005, he was shot three times in the lung and chest by police during a brawl in Miami Beach. He was in a coma for almost two months and then pleaded guilty to five charges when he woke up. He was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to get treatment for his bipolar disorder.

After spending time between jail and rehabilitation facilities in the years after, Robbins was pulled over by police near Dallas in 2010 and he was found to have crack cocaine in his car.

He was sentenced to five years in prison for a probation violation and was released in 2012.

Then, in 2016, the 6’5, 300-pound Robbins was charged with assaulting a woman and her daughter outside a Florida hotel. Robbins allegedly approached them randomly and began punching them repeatedly. He then sat down on a bench.

In October 2020, Robbins was arrested for drug paraphernalia possession or use and trespassing in South Florida. Police also said he was sleeping outside of a 7-Eleven in South Florida frequently.

A month later he was accused of leaving a restaurant in Delray Beach without paying for his food. A worker followed Robbins as he fled before they had an altercation, in which Robbins allegedly threw a rock at them. He was taken into custody by police.