It follows Eugene Robinson. Every day. Everywhere he goes. Even when he’s not there and there’s a Super Bowl week approaching and somebody says, “Just don’t do what Eugene Robinson did.”
He hears. He knows. He’s at peace.
“I can’t be upset because that’s fact and that’s reality — I’m not going to run and hide from it,” Robinson said Tuesday by phone. “That’s the landscape that I created.”
Robinson was an accomplished NFL player. He played 16 seasons, including two with the Falcons. He was named to two All-Pro teams, played in three Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers (over New England).
These were memories to be celebrated. His career story was expected to end there.
But when most people hear the name Eugene Robinson, particularly this time of the football calendar, thoughts immediately go to Jan. 30, 1999, the night before the Falcons’ lone Super Bowl appearance against the Denver Broncos. Robinson, one of the team’s leaders and the starting free safety, was arrested in Miami on Biscayne Boulevard for soliciting an undercover police officer who was posing as a prostitute.
Some mistakes may seem minor in the legal world. But if the stage is big enough, they can become monumental in one’s life and the sports world’s unforgiving memory.
Robinson, who now lives in the Charlotte area, has been a radio analyst for the Carolina Panthers for several seasons. As such, he has watched the Falcons twice a year and said he is pulling for his former team in the Super Bowl against New England, even if they are one of Carolina's NFC South rivals.
"I played for them, just like I played for Green Bay and Seattle, so I'm going to root for them," he said. "I'm excited for them. I excited for the city of Atlanta. They absolutely deserve to be there, and it's going to be a great game. It may be the highest-scoring game of all time. They've had a great season and Matt Ryan should be the MVP."
Robinson has been to the Super Bowl twice with the Panthers. Last year’s trip was somewhat of a healing moment for him, even if Carolina lost to Denver — ironically, the same team the Falcons lost to 18 seasons ago in Miami.
Before the Panthers left Charlotte for the San Francisco area, Robinson asked coach Ron Rivera for permission to speak to the team about the potential perils of Super Bowl week. Rivera agreed, because, well, who would be better qualified?
“I reminded guys that you worked your entire life to get to this point and you locked arms as brothers and you have one goal,” Robinson said. “I told them, ‘Right now, there’s only one game that matters, one game that you covet. I got a chance to play in that game and win that game, but I blew it.’ I told them that. I told them, ‘Don’t blow it.’ I told them, ‘Think of the guys on your team even higher than you think of yourself. Let that be your bond. Don’t just think of yourself. Don’t be one of those guys who jeopardizes their chance and makes a mistake.’ I’m proof of that. People are right to reference me. That was the message I wanted to give them.”
It’s easy to understand why so many people won’t let go of that night in Miami. The Falcons went 14-2 in the 1998 regular season and stunned Minnesota in the NFC Championship game. (What some forget: It was Robinson who broke up a long pass intended for Randy Moss in overtime, forcing the Vikings to punt on the series that preceded Morten Andersen’s game-winning field goal.)
But the Falcons lost to Denver in the Super Bowl 34-19. Robinson let Rod Smith get behind him for an 80-yard touchdown pass that gave the Broncos a 17-3 lead. It was so easy to blame Robinson for everything. But the truth is, we’ll never know what would’ve happened in that game if the Falcons had been arrest-free.
Robinson has grown from all of this. He has shown courage dealing with a story line that has lingered for 18 years. He knew it would come up again this week, with the Falcons returning to the Super Bowl. He knew it would come up last year when Carolina went to the title game.
After the arrest in Miami, Robinson cried all night and was consoled by teammates. He had suddenly morphed from a guy who earlier Saturday was honored with the Athletes In Action/Bart Starr Man of the Year Award to an international punchline.
“I thought, how did I get from way over here to way over here?’” Robinson said to a group of us a year ago, standing outside a meeting room in a San Jose, Calif., hotel. “It’s easy to lose your way when you’re selfish. That’s what I was. Selfish.”
What more can a man say or do?
Robinson still feels a connection with the Falcons. He has a sister who lives in Atlanta and said he maintains ties to the city, so he's genuinely excited for sports fans. He believes the Falcons have a real chance to win, but won't make a prediction.
“Their offense doesn’t just march down the field 80 yards for a touchdown,” he said. “They could be backed up to the 5-yard line and they’ll still march 95 yards for a touchdown. The thing I like about them is the confidence they’re playing with and I heard Matt Ryan talking about how much they like each other. That’s really important. They’re balling.
“Neither one of these teams makes mistakes. It’s going to come down to who on defense can make a play, like tipping a pass. It’s like the young guy (Jalen Collins) on the Falcons who made a play, ripping the ball out (and forcing a fumble against Green Bay). It should be a great game.”
He’ll watch and enjoy it. And if during the broadcast somebody should mention what happened the eve of the last Super Bowl the Falcons played in, Robinson won’t be fazed. He created the landscape.
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