Former NFL star Barret Robbins has died. He was 52.
His former teammate Tim Brown shared the news on Thursday, March 26, revealing he got a call from Robbins’ family.
“It’s with great regret I tell you I just received a call from [Barret’s wife] Marissa Robbins informing me that Raiders All Pro center [Barret] Robbins passed away overnight. Thankfully, he passed peacefully in his sleep,” the Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver, 59, wrote via X.
“Please pray for their girls, his family and tons of teammates who will be affected by this!” Brown continued. “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!”
Brown and the former lineman built a friendship while playing for the Raiders from 1995 to 2003.
Raiders alum Rich Gannon spoke out via X on Friday, March 27, to share his condolences, writing, “Sad to hear of the passing of my center and former teammate Barret Robbins. RIP my brother!🙏🏻”
Football coach and former center Tim Grunhard also replied, “Loved [Barret]. So sorry to hear this. We had many great post-game conversations over the years! #centerfraternity.”
Barret, a former Texas Christian University player, was selected in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft, going on to play nine seasons with the franchise. He rose up the rankings to become one the best centers in the NFL and became first-team All-Pro in 2002.
He also made headlines when he missed Super Bowl XXXVII after disappearing the day before the big game on January 26, 2003, and ending up in Tijuana. His team ultimately lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a total score of 48‑21. Despite his return, then-coach Bill Callahan determined that Barret was not fit to play.
He was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder and completed a 30‑day rehab stint due to struggles with alcohol abuse.
“I mean, this was the biggest game of my life,” he told ESPN about the incident. “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.”
“The hardest part to me is that the feeling I had was that the game was over and we had won and that was the way I felt,” he added. “That’s the way my brain was functioning to take the stress off or to alleviate whatever it was, and I don’t know why, but that’s what was going on in my brain.”
