If you have any sense or knowledge of the history of the Super Bowl, you might know that it’s the night before the big game where the absolutely craziest off-field incidents in Super Bowl history have taken place. Moments that have influenced the outcome of the game itself, ended careers and ruined reputations.
That’s not something the Philadelphia Eagles have to even remotely worry about — The Athletic’s Diana Russini gave a quick glimpse into what that looks like after an encounter with NFL All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown.
“And then — in the middle of all this madness — there’s A.J. Brown,” Russini wrote on February 9. “Just standing there on Julia Street, a few blocks from the Eagles’ hotel, cool as ever, hanging with a few family and friends, soaking it all in. It’s his first Super Bowl, his first chance to take a deep breath before the biggest game of his life. But while the rest of the city is raving about the tremendous food and music, Brown remains unshaken. He’s focused. He tells me the Eagles aren’t getting caught up in the madness, that it’s all about the game. New Orleans has a way of pulling people in and makes them forget about whatever else they had going on. But for Brown? The party can wait. There’s a championship to win.”
It’s actually Brown’s second Super Bowl. He was traded from the Tennessee Titans to the Eagles before the 2022 season and had 6 receptions for 96 yards and 1 touchdown in the Eagles’ 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
Sordid History of Pre-Super Bowl Meltdowns
In the history of the Super Bowl there are 3 specific “night before the game” incidents that will live in infamy and all involved players whose teams went on to lose the game.
In January 1989, Cincinnati Bengals fullback Stanley Wilson was headed to the team’s final meeting the night before playing the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIII in Miami, Florida, but forgot his playbook in his hotel room. Twenty minutes later, his position coach went to check on Wilson and found him laid out in his room, high on cocaine.
Wilson, who had already been suspended for the entire 1985 and 1987 seasons for cocaine, was taken off the active roster for the Super Bowl and the Bengals lost, 20-16. It was a game where Wilson, the Bengals’ third leading rusher, might have dominated because of rainy conditions. Because it was his third drug offense, he was banned from the NFL for life.
In January 1999, Atlanta Falcons All-Pro and 3-time Pro Bowl safety Eugene Robinson was arrested for solicitation of a prostitute one night before the Falcons faced the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIIII in Miami. Robinson was burned for a deep touchdown and missed a critical tackle that set up another touchdown as the Falcons lost, 34-19.
In January 2003, Oakland Raiders All-Pro center Barrett Robbins went missing 24 hours before Super Bowl XXXVII against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in San Diego and was found “incoherent” after a wild drinking binge across San Diego, into Tijuana and back to San Diego. Robbins, who was diagnosed bipolar, was in such a state he wasn’t physically able to play in the game and the Raiders lost, 48-21.
