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All-Pro center disoriented, remains hospitalized ESPN.com news services Raiders All-Pro center Barret Robbins remained hospitalized Tuesday in San Diego and did not return to Oakland with the team, ESPN's Ed Werder reports, a day after the veteran player was removed from the lineup for Super Bowl XXXVII. A source close to Robbins told ESPN that Robbins is suffering from disorientation, complaining that he does not know where he is. Robbins still is under care of doctors in a San Diego hospital and will probably remain there until at least Tuesday, agent Drew Pittman said. Robbins' wife, Marisa, returned to Oakland on Monday to tend to family business but had plans to fly back to San Diego within the next 24 hours. The source told ESPN that Robbins could remain hospitalized until doctors have a clearer diagnosis of his problem.
Pittman said he hoped to learn more about Robbins' condition Tuesday. The agent said he didn't know which hospital Robbins was in, and was unaware of his condition. Four teammates, all speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the San Francisco Chronicle that Robbins spent Saturday in Tijuana, Mexico. Pittman called the report "speculation.'' Checks with the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, the Customs Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, San Diego police and several area hospitals yielded no further information. The Raiders are assisting in Robbins' medical care, although team executive Bruce Allen was not specific as to the nature of the assistance. Robbins, an All-Pro selection for the first time this season, will not play in the Pro Bowl on Sunday in Honolulu. The Raiders lost to Tampa Bay 48-21 on Sunday, the Buccaneers' first championship. Robbins almost was benched earlier in the season. Sources told the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday that Raiders coach Bill Callahan wanted to bench Robbins several weeks ago in favor of Adam Treu, but that move was vetoed by owner Al Davis. "Too much money," Raiders guard Frank Middleton told the Chronicle when asked why the move was not made. "He made the Pro Bowl because he played with four other great offensive linemen." "Barret's Barret," wide receiver Tim Brown told the newspaper. "There has been stuff we've had to deal with all year." Further details about Robbins' absence from the Raiders and his removal from the team became clear Monday from sources' reports.On Friday, Robbins was in his hotel room for the team's 11 p.m. PT bed check, but he missed the Raiders' team meeting Saturday as well as the walkthrough practice at Qualcomm Stadium. The next time someone from the team had contact with Robbins was 45 minutes before Oakland's final meeting Saturday at 8 p.m. PT. Robbins was told not to attend the meeting. Callahan made the decision to remove Robbins from the team for the Super Bowl at 10 a.m. Sunday. Allen informed Robbins, and the Raiders called Robbins' wife, Marisa, at the hotel housing Raiders family members. Robbins was ordered removed from the team hotel; Robbins' wife took him to the Raiders family hotel. On the advice of Pittman, Robbins was then taken to a hospital for observation. The Raiders are scheduled to fly back to Oakland at 7 p.m. ET but aren't expected to formally address the media. "I'm not interested in playing with him again," Middleton told ESPN on Sunday night. "You can't be on a team that doesn't have trust in you and I've lost trust in him. So I'm not really interested in playing with him any more." In December 1996, Robbins was hospitalized with a "chemical imbalance complicated by influenza syndrome," then-team doctor Robert Albo told the San Francisco Chronicle. At the time, Robbins was on prescription medication to address a sleeping problem, the same '96 Chronicle report said. Doctors later determined that Robbins was suffering from depression. Robbins isn't the first player beset by off-the-field circumstances prior to a Super Bowl. At the 1989 Super Bowl, fullback Stanley Wilson of the Cincinnati Bengals was found in his Miami hotel room in a cocaine-induced stupor the night before the game. He did not play, and Cincinnati lost to San Francisco, 20-16. Ten years later, safety Eugene Robinson of Atlanta was arrested less than 24 hours before the Super Bowl for solicitation of prostitution. He played, and was beaten on a touchdown pass by John Elway as the Falcons lost to the Broncos, 34-19. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. |
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