Barret Robbins
Encyclopedia
Barret Robbins is a former American football
center
for the National Football League
Oakland Raiders
where he played for nine seasons between 1995
to 2003
. After playing for Texas Christian University
, he was taken by the Oakland Raiders
in the 2nd round of the 1995 draft. He became one of the NFL's best centers, being elected to the Pro Bowl
in 2002. He was the leader of the Raiders offensive line that led them to Super Bowl XXXVII
.
's last year as head coach, the second-year Robbins replaced Dan Turk
in the lineup, becoming only the fifth starting center in Raider history, after Turk, Don Mosebar
, Dave Dalby
, and Jim Otto
.
During the 2000 NFL season
with Jon Gruden
as head coach and Rich Gannon
at quarterback, Oakland scored 479 points (29.9 points/game), 3rd of 31 teams in the NFL, thanks to a strong offensive line which included Robbins playing between Steve Wisniewski
at left guard and Mo Collins
at right guard in all 16 games (also both playoff games), finishing with a won-lost record of 12–4, top in the AFC western division. In the divisional round of the 2000-01 NFL playoffs, Oakland shut out the Miami Dolphins
27–0, gaining 140 yards on the ground. However, the Raiders lost the AFC championship game to the Baltimore Ravens
when Gannon was injured early.
During the 2001 NFL season
, Robbins was injured, playing in only 2 regular season games, replaced by Adam Treu
(also in both playoff games), when Oakland scored 399 points (24.9 points/game), 4th of 31 teams in the NFL, and won the AFC west again with a 10–6 record, easily defeating the New York Jets
in a wild card game but losing to the New England Patriots
in the divisional round.
In the 2002 NFL season
with Bill Callahan in his first year as head coach, Robbins rebounded strongly by starting all 16 regular season games and making the Pro Bowl
. Oakland won the AFC west for the third straight year, with a 11–5 record, scoring 450 points (28.1 points/game), 2nd of 32 teams in the NFL. In the 2002–03 NFL playoffs, the Raiders easily defeated the New York Jets
again with 399 total yards, with an offensive line composed of Robbins, Frank Middleton
and Mo Collins
at guard, Barry Sims
and Lincoln Kennedy
at tackle. The Raiders then beat with the same offensive line the Tennessee Titans
in the AFC championship game, gaining 375 total yards.
Then, inexplicably, the day before Super Bowl XXXVII
, disaster struck Robbins. He was reported as missing for most of the day before the game after not taking his depression
medication. When he resurfaced that night, he was so incoherent that Callahan left him off the roster. He spent 30 days at the Betty Ford Center
, during which time he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
(or manic-depressive disorder). He'd been diagnosed with depression while at TCU, but it is common for the two to be confused in the early stages. Robbins later told his wife that he had spent most of the day before the Super Bowl partying across the border in Tijuana
, and actually thought the Raiders had already won the game and he was celebrating their victory. With Adam Treu
as the starting center, the Raiders lost the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
.
Robbins regained his starting job the next year in the 2003 NFL season
with the same linemates, a disastrous 4–12 for the team. However, his name and those of several of his teammates were found on the list of clients of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative
that had given performance-enhancing drugs to Marion Jones
and others. The Raiders released him in the summer of 2004 after he tested positive for a steroid
known to have come from the BALCO lab. Treu replaced him as the starting center.
for his role. Under a plea agreement, Robbins pled guilty to five charges, including the attempted murder charge, and was sentenced to five years probation, ordered to receive treatment for his bipolar disorder, and to avoid alcohol. He has spent most of the last six years in jail or in rehab facilities due to problems with substance abuse. He ultimately ended up in a rehab facility in Houston in 2008, and was transferred to a halfway house in May 2009.
In a 2009 interview with HBO's Real Sports
, Robbins told Andrea Kremer
that before being diagnosed as bipolar, he had dealt with his mood swings by taking alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and steroids. He also said that he had been in a manic mood for both Raider playoff games prior to the Super Bowl. His ex-wife, Marisa, also interviewed for the story, said that before the diagnosis there were days where he had breakfast and went right back to bed.
In early 2010, a police officer pulled him over near Dallas and found crack cocaine in his car. On March 25, 2011, Robbins was sentenced to five years in a Florida prison for a drug-related probation violation.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
for the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
where he played for nine seasons between 1995
1995 in sports
1995 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Alberto Tomba, Italy** Women's overall season champion: Vreni Schneider, Switzerland-American football:...
to 2003
2003 in sports
2003 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season championship: Stephan Eberharter, Austria** Women's overall season championship: Janica Kostelić, Croatia-American football:...
. After playing for Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
, he was taken by the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 2nd round of the 1995 draft. He became one of the NFL's best centers, being elected to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in 2002. He was the leader of the Raiders offensive line that led them to Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...
.
Raider center
In 1996, Mike WhiteMike White
Michael Christopher "Mike" White is an American writer, director, actor, and producer for television and film and the winner of the Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award for Chuck & Buck.-Early years:...
's last year as head coach, the second-year Robbins replaced Dan Turk
Dan Turk
Daniel Anthony Turk was an American football center in the National Football League from 1985 to 1999 for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders, and Washington Redskins. Turk was mainly used as a long snapper and reserve center...
in the lineup, becoming only the fifth starting center in Raider history, after Turk, Don Mosebar
Don Mosebar
Donald Mosebar is a retired American Football Center.-College career:Mosebar was an All-American offensive lineman in 1982 at the University of Southern California and drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders....
, Dave Dalby
Dave Dalby
David Merle Dalby was a former American football center.-College:Dalby played for UCLA, where he became part of their All-Century team as center...
, and Jim Otto
Jim Otto
James Edwin Otto is a former Professional Football center for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League.-Wausau High School and University of Miami:...
.
During the 2000 NFL season
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
with Jon Gruden
Jon Gruden
Jon David Gruden is an American football analyst and former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for seven seasons and prior to that the Oakland Raiders for four seasons. In his first year as the head coach of Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII, defeating the Raiders whom he had...
as head coach and Rich Gannon
Rich Gannon
Richard Joseph Gannon is a former football quarterback, who achieved most of his success late in his career with the Oakland Raiders in the National Football League...
at quarterback, Oakland scored 479 points (29.9 points/game), 3rd of 31 teams in the NFL, thanks to a strong offensive line which included Robbins playing between Steve Wisniewski
Steve Wisniewski
Steve Wisniewski nicknamed "The Wiz" is a former Offensive Lineman who played 13 seasons with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders and is now an assistant offensive line coach for the Oakland Raiders. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1989 NFL Draft. His rights were traded...
at left guard and Mo Collins
Mo Collins
Maureen "Mo" Ann Collins is an American actress and comedian. Collins is perhaps best known for being a member of the ensemble on FOX's sketch comedy series MADtv. She became well known for several characters during her tenure on the show...
at right guard in all 16 games (also both playoff games), finishing with a won-lost record of 12–4, top in the AFC western division. In the divisional round of the 2000-01 NFL playoffs, Oakland shut out the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
27–0, gaining 140 yards on the ground. However, the Raiders lost the AFC championship game to the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
when Gannon was injured early.
During the 2001 NFL season
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
, Robbins was injured, playing in only 2 regular season games, replaced by Adam Treu
Adam Treu
Adam Treu was a center in the NFL. He walked on to University of Nebraska-Lincoln after playing at Pius X High School in Lincoln. He won back-to-back National Championships with the Cornhuskers in 1994 and 1995 playing left tackle and performing all the long snapping duties...
(also in both playoff games), when Oakland scored 399 points (24.9 points/game), 4th of 31 teams in the NFL, and won the AFC west again with a 10–6 record, easily defeating the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in a wild card game but losing to the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in the divisional round.
In the 2002 NFL season
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
with Bill Callahan in his first year as head coach, Robbins rebounded strongly by starting all 16 regular season games and making the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
. Oakland won the AFC west for the third straight year, with a 11–5 record, scoring 450 points (28.1 points/game), 2nd of 32 teams in the NFL. In the 2002–03 NFL playoffs, the Raiders easily defeated the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
again with 399 total yards, with an offensive line composed of Robbins, Frank Middleton
Frank Middleton
Frank Middleton is a former American football player who played Offensive guard for eight seasons in the NFL. Middleton was drafted in 1997 in the 3rd round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
and Mo Collins
Mo Collins
Maureen "Mo" Ann Collins is an American actress and comedian. Collins is perhaps best known for being a member of the ensemble on FOX's sketch comedy series MADtv. She became well known for several characters during her tenure on the show...
at guard, Barry Sims
Barry Sims
Barry Sims is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Scottish Claymores in the 17th round of the NFL Europe Draft in 1999. He played college football at Utah...
and Lincoln Kennedy
Lincoln Kennedy
Tamerlane Lincoln Kennedy Jr. is a former American football offensive tackle and currently is a broadcaster for Fox Sports and Premiere Radio Networks.-High school career:...
at tackle. The Raiders then beat with the same offensive line the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
in the AFC championship game, gaining 375 total yards.
Then, inexplicably, the day before Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...
, disaster struck Robbins. He was reported as missing for most of the day before the game after not taking his depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
medication. When he resurfaced that night, he was so incoherent that Callahan left him off the roster. He spent 30 days at the Betty Ford Center
Betty Ford Center
The Betty Ford Center , is a non-profit, separately licensed residential chemical dependency recovery hospital in Rancho Mirage, California, that offers inpatient, outpatient, and day treatment for alcohol and other drug addictions as well as prevention and education programs for family and children...
, during which time he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
(or manic-depressive disorder). He'd been diagnosed with depression while at TCU, but it is common for the two to be confused in the early stages. Robbins later told his wife that he had spent most of the day before the Super Bowl partying across the border in Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
, and actually thought the Raiders had already won the game and he was celebrating their victory. With Adam Treu
Adam Treu
Adam Treu was a center in the NFL. He walked on to University of Nebraska-Lincoln after playing at Pius X High School in Lincoln. He won back-to-back National Championships with the Cornhuskers in 1994 and 1995 playing left tackle and performing all the long snapping duties...
as the starting center, the Raiders lost the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
.
Robbins regained his starting job the next year in the 2003 NFL season
2003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
with the same linemates, a disastrous 4–12 for the team. However, his name and those of several of his teammates were found on the list of clients of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative
Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative
The Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative was an American company led by founder and owner Victor Conte, a former bass player for the soul band Tower of Power. In 2003, journalists Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada investigated the company's role in a drug sports scandal later referred to as the...
that had given performance-enhancing drugs to Marion Jones
Marion Jones
Marion Lois Jones , also known as Marion Jones-Thompson, is a former world champion track and field athlete, and a former professional basketball player for Tulsa Shock in the WNBA...
and others. The Raiders released him in the summer of 2004 after he tested positive for a steroid
Steroid
A steroid is a type of organic compound that contains a characteristic arrangement of four cycloalkane rings that are joined to each other. Examples of steroids include the dietary fat cholesterol, the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, and the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone.The core...
known to have come from the BALCO lab. Treu replaced him as the starting center.
Post-football troubles
A few months later, on Christmas Eve, he was arrested for punching a security guard who tried to keep him from going to a bar at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco. On January 15, 2005, Robbins was shot three times during a brawl with police in Miami Beach, and was subsequently charged with attempted murderAttempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
for his role. Under a plea agreement, Robbins pled guilty to five charges, including the attempted murder charge, and was sentenced to five years probation, ordered to receive treatment for his bipolar disorder, and to avoid alcohol. He has spent most of the last six years in jail or in rehab facilities due to problems with substance abuse. He ultimately ended up in a rehab facility in Houston in 2008, and was transferred to a halfway house in May 2009.
In a 2009 interview with HBO's Real Sports
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel is a monthly sports newsmagazine on HBO that debuted on April 2, 1995. The show was "spawned by the fact that sports have changed dramatically, that it's no longer just fun and games, and that what happens off the field, beyond the scores, is worthy of some serious...
, Robbins told Andrea Kremer
Andrea Kremer
Andrea Kremer is an American television sports journalist. She currently works as a correspondent on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel." Until the 2011 season she worked as a sideline reporter for NBC on the network's coverage of Sunday Night Football.Kremer has covered more than 20 Super...
that before being diagnosed as bipolar, he had dealt with his mood swings by taking alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and steroids. He also said that he had been in a manic mood for both Raider playoff games prior to the Super Bowl. His ex-wife, Marisa, also interviewed for the story, said that before the diagnosis there were days where he had breakfast and went right back to bed.
In early 2010, a police officer pulled him over near Dallas and found crack cocaine in his car. On March 25, 2011, Robbins was sentenced to five years in a Florida prison for a drug-related probation violation.