The last time the Falcons went to the Super Bowl they suffered a disappointing loss following an embarrassing and distracting incident the night before: safety Eugene Robinson’s arrest on a charge of soliciting a prostitute.
The Falcons are returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since that 1999 game. Coach Dan Quinn said he’s not concerned about any of his players getting into trouble next week in Houston before the Falcons play the Patriots on Feb. 5.
“I recognize the question,” Quinn said at his Monday news conference. “Honestly, on some other teams I’ve been a part of, you might have worried, but not this team. This team is so tight and the accountability they have for one another is so strong and so, to me, that’s why (there is no worry).
“They totally rely on one another. This brotherhood is so strong, they care about one another and they are playing for something bigger than themselves. For this team and this group, I totally trust them.”
The Falcons lost 34-19 to the Broncos in the 1999 Super Bowl. Robinson was arrested the night before after Miami police said he offered an undercover officer $40 for sex. The arrest came hours after Robinson had been presented with the Bart Starr Man of the Year Award for high moral character.
Robinson, now a radio analyst for the Panthers, cautioned that team’s players before they traveled to play in last year’s Super Bowl.
"I told them I cried all night," Robinson said, according to the Charlotte Observer . "Dude, I cried all night. … How did I get way over here when I was way over here? Well, it is easy to lose your way when you're selfish, and you're thinking about yourself, and that's what I did."
There have other publicized incidents involved Super Bowl participants, and both of their teams also lost their games.
Raiders offensive lineman Barrett Robbins disappeared from the team on the Friday prior to the 2003 Super Bowl in San Diego. Robbins showed up to the team hotel disoriented the night before the game and checked into a hospital the next morning.
Robbins later said he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and was experiencing a manic episode at the time.
Bengals fullback Stanley Wilson went on a cocaine binge and missed his team's 20-16 loss to the 49ers in the 1988 Super Bowl in Miami. Wilson resurfaced on the Monday following the game. He has said that he's struggled with addiction for years.
