When Raiders Center Barret Robbins mysteriously disappeared before Super Bowl XXXVII

The Super Bowl is supposed to be the pinnacle of every footballer's career, but for Raiders center Barret Robbins, it turned into a nightmare. As we approach another Super Bow, we look back at the XXXVII edition that was dominated by off-the-field stories as much as for what happened on it.

The NFC Champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers took on the AFC Champions Oakland Raiders to decide who will be the eventual champions. Much of the pre-match talk focused on Jon Gruden. He was the Buccaneers' coach, having moved the previous year from the Raiders. It was dubbed the 'Gruden Bowl'.

Another off-field story that's often forgotten is that of Barret Robbins. He was a Pro-Bowl center for the team and the leader of the offensive line. Despite his great performances on the field, he had demons within, having been diagnosed with depression while playing college football for Texas Christian University.

Reports suggest that before the game, Raiders coach Brian Callahan changed the power-running game to a passing game for the Super Bowl. Robbins preferred the power-running game and felt undermined. Whether that was the actual catalyst for what subsequently happened or not, it set off in motion some scarcely believable actions by the player.

Having made the 11 pm curfew on Friday night, he ventured outside to drink with unknown people. There were reports of him going around San Diego and even as far as Tijuana in Mexico. He missed the morning breakfast and walk-through practice the day before the Super Bowl.

Such was the worry within the Raiders camp, they informed the NFL of his disappearance, who contacted local law enforcement agencies. He was eventually located by former Raiders player Calvin Branch, who put him in a cab back to the La Jolla Hyatt hotel where the team was staying.

When he arrived back on Saturday evening after the game, he thought they had already won the Super Bowl and was making plans to travel to Hawaii to play in the Pro Bowl. In reality, Barret Robbins spent the day of the Super Bowl at the hospital recovering and taking no part in the game.

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What happened to Barret Robbins after Super Bowl XXXVII?

Barret Robbins spent 30 days at the Betty Ford Center where his problems would be traced back to bipolar disorder.

He was diagnosed with having gone into a manic episode after not taking his depression medication. He has faced trouble after his football career as well, many a times related to substance abuse.

Without their starting center in Super Bowl XXXVII, the Raiders lost 48-21. Their quarterback was sacked five times and intercepted five times too. Had they stayed with the running game and had their starting center been available, the result could have been different.