Barret Robbins

[Russ Smith]

2 rumors making the rounds from the Contra Costa times.

1) Reports are he partied all night in Tijuana and when he came back Saturday he was so out of it he skipped the team walkthrough.

2) He apparently missed a game in 96 because of a reaction to medication he was taking while having influenza. His mother has had "similar episodes" that were never properly diagnosed. He allegedly had the same issue in college. His college trainer says he never missed a snap in college and never had any such problem.

Most common rumor that unnamed teammates support is he was partying in Mexico, got VERY drunk, and was unable to play because he's injured and needed a painkiller to play, but because of the alcohol he could not take the painkiller.

 

[Lex]

The story I heard was, he has a Jack Daniels problem, and was taking pain killers so he could play. Jack Daniels over pain killers is a recipe for disaster, he might not even know what happened. I think if you feel the need to go south of the border to party, DURING Super Bowl week, you've got a lifelong problem.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Originally posted by Lex
The story I heard was, he has a Jack Daniels problem, and was taking pain killers so he could play. Jack Daniels over pain killers is a recipe for disaster, he might not even know what happened. I think if you feel the need to go south of the border to party, DURING Super Bowl week, you've got a lifelong problem.

Well, you can get the pain killers and the Jack in Mexico, pretty cheaply at least.

 

[Ed B]

I pity someone who can't avoid booze/drugs/etc the night before the ******* super bowl.

I mean, if you can't avoid liquor or drugs the night before the biggest single moment of your life, truly you have a problem. I hope Robbins gets help. He needs it.

 

[DevonCardsFan]

This was on a very small site long before any news broke, the night before, its an underground music site, I didn't post it because I guessed it was BS, but I believe it. This was long before any news broke.




exclusive RAIDERS news! BARRET ROBBINS starting center in big trouble!
ok i just got this news. nobody else on earth knows about this. you can believe me if you want but this poo is true. i just got a call from one of my friends who is in tiajuana, mexico with barret robbins who happens to be the starting center for the oakland raiders. my friend (i'll call him jim) has been with him since last night where they met for the first time in san diego. they went to tiajuana where jim and barret got a room. jim says that barret has already fudged three ****** in a ********** in tiajuana and that they have been draining barret's bank account at his request to get more money. they are still in tiajuana together and they have not slept since they met. in addition jim has taken over 30 pictures with barret including pictures of him in the ********** and with several different ******. although he doesn't have pictures of them freaking he says that the from the pictures you can tell what is going on. i don't know when this fool decides to go back to san diego where tomarrow he will have the biggest game of his life but i'm sure the raiders organization and raider fans could not be to delighted to here this. when jim (who lives in san diego) comes up to the bay next week i will post up some of the pictures for all you non-believers. just hope this fudge doesn't ruin the game with a bad snap or missed block or some poo like that.

 

[DevonCardsFan]

wow that has alot of bad language, sorry if anyone is offended. It was posted 1-25, at 3:30, from a credible poster on the board.

 

[Stout]

Originally posted by Ed B
I pity someone who can't avoid booze/drugs/etc the night before the ******* super bowl.

I mean, if you can't avoid liquor or drugs the night before the biggest single moment of your life, truly you have a problem. I hope Robbins gets help. He needs it.

I don't know Ed, for some guys it used to be their first trip to the big times, in the old days at least. I seem to recall a player (can't remember the player, team or year) that was severely hung over for the game and was benched. He ended up being Super Bowl MVP.

Now, that doesn't mean I condone booze before a big game. Just being contrary to lighten things up and be the 'funny guy'.

 

[Lefty]

The player you're thinking of is Max McGee of the Green Bay Packers. You have the story wrong.
Max went out drinking the night before Super Bowl I because he was seldom used and he thought he was not going to play. Lombardi played him and he caught the very first touchdown in Super Bowl history. He was named the MVP of the game.
Robbins is a starter and all-pro. He is a center and an important figure on the offensive line. The guy definitely let his team down.

 

[Ryanwb]

Robbins must have pissed a lot of people off, I couldn't believe some of the comments his teammates were giving the media.

Someone said that the only reason he made the Pro Bowl was because of the rest of the line made him look good. I have never seen a group of teammates turn on another player like this.

 

[Ed B]

Frank Middleton said "I never want to play next to him again, he doesn't have my back".

Ouch.

 

[ChiCard]

Well there's got to be more here then meets the eye then. If his teamates are saying that, as oppossed to the obligatory "we're a team and we all hope he recovers soon" blather, something has to really be off the radar screen. Maybe he's completely flipped out. For the coach to have thrown the guy out of the team hotel and make him go to the family hotel so he didn't have any contact with his team mates before the game is an indication he needed to be seperated from his mates at all costs. A rather drastic move if related only to subsatnce abuse,no?

 

[bratwurst]

Who was the cowboy who used to play back in the seventies I think, who was stashing coke inside his pant leg and snorting it during games?

 

[ChiCard]

There's too many Cowboy's players who did that to list them all!

 

[Ryanwb]

Originally posted by ChiCard
There's too many Cowboy's players who did that to list them all!

Yeah, do you want us to break it down by position

 

[Reddog]

Originally posted by Ryanwb
Yeah, do you want us to break it down by position

Maybe we could do a depth chart like the salary cap grid. We could include position and vital stats like weight in grams.

 

[Lefty]

Thomas"Hollywood" Henderson is the Cowboy I think you're talking about. Hollywood's life has really done a 180. He sobered up, did a lot of community work and then won the lottery. Nice story.

 

[bratwurst]

There is one particular guy I am thinking of, and I saw a show on it once. They even showed a clip from the game and a spot shadow right where the coke was stashed in his pants. I am pretty sure it was during the Super Bowl.

 

[AZCB34]

Originally posted by bratwurst
Who was the cowboy who used to play back in the seventies I think, who was stashing coke inside his pant leg and snorting it during games?

Wasn't that Hollywood Henderson?

 

[Russ Smith]

FYI Robbins' agent says he tested negative for drugs(they didn't mention alcohol) in his system and he claims it's some hereditary disease that's not been properly diagnosed that causes "episodes" like this.

Robbins will save the Raiders 4.2 million against the cap when they cut him.

 

[JeffGollin]

Just wondering but, with all the talk about "we're a family and why didn't Barret reach out to a family member" -

If so-called close-knit family members on the Raiders knew that Robbins had a history of depression, chemical imbalance, a drinking problem or whatever - did any of them keep a close enough eye on the dude in light of the high-stress nature of Super Bowl preparations?

Even something so informal as "Hey! We're all going out for pizza. Come along" might have been enough "supervision" to keep Robbins out of trouble.

I realize some of the "bootstrap" folks on this bb will say that "Barret's a big boy and shouldn't need hand-holding." But I maintain this is another one of those situations where - if you're aware enough - you control events and don't let events control you. If members of the close-knit Raider "family" didn't want bleep to happen right before their biggest game in over a decade, someone should have anticipated this and dealt with it.

 

[WizardOfAz]

Looks Like Robbins Will Stay.....

Thursday, May 1

Robbins to conditionally remain with Raiders


By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com


Pro Bowl center Barret Robbins, who did not play for the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII after missing a series of team functions, and who was subsequently hospitalized and treated for bipolar disorder, will remain with the team in 2003, club officials said.

The conditions to Robbins' continued employment with the franchise: The eight-year veteran must continue treatments for bipolar disorder and alcohol abuse.

"I'm doing better. I'm feeling fine," Robbins told The San Jose Mercury News on Wednesday, in his first interview for attribution since completing a 35-day treatment course for bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic-depression. "I'm staying on my medications. I'm getting healthy medically, physically and emotionally."

Team officials confirmed late Wednesday that Robbins has been working out regularly at the team's facility in recent weeks, that there have been no apparent relapses, and that he is expected to participate in a June mini-camp.

Like most Oakland veterans, Robbins is not scheduled to participate in a mini-camp that is being held this weekend for rookies and selected young veterans.

Sources declined to address Robbins' status on the depth chart. Backup Adam Treu started in the Super Bowl, after Robbins was sent home by coach Bill Callahan, when he failed to show for a practice and team meetings. Former first-round draft choice Matt Stinchcomb, a four-year veteran who has played primarily at tackle and guard during his career, has spent considerable time at center this spring.

Robbins, 29, apparently began battling depression while at Texas Christian University and has experienced episodes during his NFL career that were unreported at the time of their occurrence.

He missed the final two games of the 1996 season in what is believed to be have been an incident involving bipolar disorder, and spent time in treatment. In the days preceding the 2000 AFC championship game, Robbins missed several team functions and then-Raiders coach Jon Gruden had to find him and bring him back to the club.

Robbins' continuing therapy now is on an outpatient basis and agent Drew Pittman said that his client is responding well.

While the standout center has apologized to some teammates, there are other who remain upset with his erratic behavior during Super Bowl week. Trying to reconcile with those teammates, some of whom were outspoken in their criticism of Robbins, lies ahead.

"Right now, it's important for me to win back the trust of my teammates, and I'm here working on that," Robbins said on Wednesday.

A second-round choice in the 1995 draft, Robbins is under contract through 2007. He is scheduled to earn a base salary of $3.2 million in 2003 and $4.2 million in 2004 before his base salaries are reduced.

"As soon as we get Barret right, we can talk more about football," said Raiders senior administrator Bruce Allen. "But it's a process and it's not going to happen overnight."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.


http://espn.go.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1547625.html

 

[Tangodnzr]

I'm surprised no one brought up the bi-polar issue before. It was posted quite some time ago.

If any one has much experience with Bipolar's you know when they hit a high or low, they are some of the most dangerous and psychotic people there are. They can be a serious threat to not only their own well being but can get so dillusional to be harmful to others too.

I'm glad to see the issue is finally being taken more seriously by the Raiders. (if indeed it wasn't before).

Being bipolar can mean a living hell for those severely affected by it.