A Violent Turn

In the fall of 2003 former Raiders center Barret Robbins compared living with bipolar disorder to sitting behind the wheel of a car with a faulty steering wheel and no brakes. It appears the onetime All-Pro, who disappeared two years ago on the eve of the Super Bowl, lost control again. Last Saturday, Robbins, 31, was shot and critically wounded during a struggle with a Miami Beach police officer investigating a burglary at an office building. Robbins suffered multiple wounds to the chest and on Monday was in critical but stable condition; he was expected to be charged with trespassing and battery of a police officer.

After the Super Bowl fiasco, Robbins was treated for alcoholism and diagnosed as bipolar. He made a brief return to the Raiders, but knee problems and a positive test for steroids led to his release. He has since struggled to find direction: He opened a recording studio and invested in a construction project but was charged with battery after a Christmas Eve fight. His agent, Drew Pittman, last spoke to him a few days before that arrest. "He didn't sound good," Pittman said. "I think he's been trying to find his way."