Bengals RB Stanley Wilson running away after cocaine relapse most dramatic Super Bowl occurrence yet
Stanley Wilson will always have one of the most insane stories surrounding a Super Bowl in NFL history. He was a player who struggled heavily with his demons off the field, which eventually caught up to him in the lead up to Super Bowl XXIII.
His Cincinnati Bengals would face off against the San Francisco 49ers, but he didn't play in the game, despite being a major contributor to their offense all year.
Wilson was previously suspended for three full seasons (with the exception of one game) for violating the league's substance abuse policy. The night before Super Bowl XXIII was the most unfortunate example of a time he lost his battle with the ongoing issue.
The Cincinnati Bengals reportedly held one final team meeting the night before the Super Bowl to discuss their final preparations for the game. Stanley Wilson was absent from the meeting. He was apparently in his hotel room and refusing to come down, according to his roommate Eddie Brown.
The Bengals sent some of their staff up to the room to check on Wilson. According to offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet:
"They found him in the bathtub naked, coked out of his mind. So they got him dressed, called the paramedics, we're taking him to the hospital, and he ran away.
"He literally ran down the steps of the hotel and gone before he got in the ambulance. I never saw him again. They didn't find him for three or four days, I guess."
Stanley Wilson unfortunately never played football again following the incident. He continued to struggle with substance abuse for the next decade. The Super Bowl incident was in 1989 and he was arrested ten years later. He was charged with burglary and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Stanley Wilson's absence was a huge loss for the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII
Stanley Wilson served as a crucial piece in the Bengals' backfield during the 1988 NFL season. He totaled more than 500 yards in a successful committee approach to the running back position, along with Ickey Woods and James Brooks.
Bengals DB David Fulcher recalled how critical it was losing Wilson for Super Bowl XXIII:
"He was a significant part of our offense running the football, and so we went into the game handicapped.”
Bengals owner Mike Brown pointed out that with the rough field conditions in Miami, Stanley Wilson could have made even more of an impact:
"Stanley was a critical loss. He had the kind of ability that could have run on that field. That field was terrible. It was much worse than people describe. It was literally just a beach.
"Stanley had a broad-based running style, great balance. I think if we had had Stanley, he would have been a difference-maker in that game."
Unfortunately, the Bengals were without Stanley Wilson for this game, which played a significant role in their eventual 20-16 loss to the 49ers.