Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski won't face charges stemming from a September fight in a Walnut Creek, Calif. restaurant, according to published reports Nov. 22, 2003.
"There was insufficient evidence to charge him in the case," Contra Costa County deputy district attorney Bruce Flynn told the Contra Costa Times
Flynn also said that the man whom Janikowski allegedly assaulted no longer wanted to press chargers.
Janikowski, 25, reportedly was taken into custody Sept. 20 by Walnut Creek police on suspicion of misdemeanor assault, vandalism and public intoxication. The Raider and a woman were dining at Slattes Supper Club Restaurant when the incident occurred.
According to one of the restaurant's owners, two men approached the couple and had words with Janikowski. The kicker confronted the men but was stopped by the club's doorman, who wrestled Janikowski to the floor.
Police said two people told them Janikowski had assaulted them and broke mirrors off nearby parked cars. Janikowski was booked into County Jail in Martinez, Calif., where he was released early Sept. 21 after posting $2,500 bail.
Janikowski Arrested
Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski was jailed after getting into a fight in a Walnut Creek, Calif. restaurant Sept. 20, 2003, according to published reports.
Janikowski, 25, was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor assault, misdemeanor vandalism and public drunkenness, Walnut Creek police Lt. Loren Cattolico told The Associated Press.
Janikowski, who pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of drunken driving in October 2002 and was placed on three years probabtion, was bailed out of County Jail in Martinez, Calif. early Sept. 21, 2003 after posting $2,500 bail, Contra Costa County sheriff's spokesman Jimmy Lee said.
A fight reportedly broke out on the patio of Slattes Supper Club in Walnut Creek. When officers arrived, several people told them they had been assaulted by Janikowski, who was "very intoxicated," police said.
Jimmy Tang, co-owner of Slattes, had a somewhat different version of the incident compared to the police report. In an interview with The Mercury News, Tang said that Janikowski's altercation was with only two patrons and that the Raiders kicker broke the sideview mirror off of only one car.
"He apologized and offered to pay for it," Tang said. "The guy is all, 'No, no, I'm pressing charges.'"
Two days after the altercation, Janikowski played in the Raiders' 31-10 loss at Denver on Sept. 22, 2003. Before the game, Raiders senior assistant Bruce Allen told reporters: "It would have been inappropriate to come to a judgment. I feel he can be absolved from all this."
If Janikowski is charged and convicted, his three-year probation from his 2002 DUI conviction could be affected and he could be subject to disciplinary action by the NFL.
Although Janikowski didn't speak to reporters following Oakland's loss at Denver, The Polish Cannon made a terse comment coming off the practice field two days later: "I'm not going to talk about anything ... only football," he said.
Janikowski Gets Probation
Raiders place-kicker Sebastian Janikowski pleaded no contest Dec. 23, 2002 to a misdemeanor charge of drunken driving, according to published reports. Janikowski, 24, was not in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland for the plea entered by attorney Laurel Headley.
Janikowski will be placed on three years' probabtion and ordered to pay a fine of $1,292, perform community service and enroll in DUI school. His license will be restricted for 90 days, meaning he will be allowed to drive only to and from work and DUI school.
Janikowski reportedly was cited Oct. 1 with two misdemeanor counts of drunken driving. The Castro Valley, Calif. resident was stopped by a California Highway Patrol officer on Interstate 580 near High Street in Oakland early Oct. 2. A blood test later showed Janikowski had a blood-alcohol level of .20, more than twice the state's legal limit of .08.
Janikowski Charged With DUI
Sebastian Janikowski was charged with driving under the influence, according to published reports. The Raiders place-kicker was stopped for speeding in Oakland early Oct. 2, 2002 and failed a field sobriety test, police said. His blood-alcohol level registered .20, more than twice the state's legal limit of .08.
Janikowski, 24, is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 4. If convicted, he could face up to six months in jail, Alameda County District Attorney told reporters.
"It's a very unfortunate incident for (Janikowski)," Raiders coach Bill Callahan read from a prepared statement to reporters Oct. 4. "I want to make it a point that this is an issue that we don't condone in our society, in the league, as an organization or as a team. It's a subject that we constantly educate our players on."
Janikowski could be subject to fine or suspension if he is already in the NFL's substance-abuse program. Confidentiality reasons prohibit league officials from revealing whether players are in the program.
In any case, should Janikowski seek treatment, he can always check into a residential inpatient addiction treatment in Florida where he attended college.
This is the latest in a series of legal problems for Janikowski, chosen by the Raiders with the 17th overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft. In October 2001, he reportedly needed five stitches in his head after falling on a San Francisco dance floor. In April 2001, the former Florida State All-America was acquitted of charges of having GHB, the date-rape drug. In June 2000, he was acquitted on a charge he offered a Tallahassee, Fla. police officer $300 to release his roommate after an argument with a bouncer outside a nightclub.
Janikowski's contract reportedly includes a clause that he must pay back up to $25,000 for every game missed because of suspension.
Janikowski Falls in Nightclub
Raiders kicker Sebastain Janikowski required five stitches to close a head wound he sustained from a fall on the dance floor of a San Francisco nightclub, according to published reports. The incident occurred early Oct. 8, 2001, hours after the Raiders' 28-21 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. After being treated and released at a hospital, Janikowski attended team meetings later in the day at the Raiders training complex in Alameda, Calif.
Police reportedly said there would be no criminal investigation unless new information becomes available. Janikowski, 23, wasn't arrested.
The Associated Press reported that Janikowski (right) 
fell at the Sno-Drift Bar due to "an apparent drug overdose." In a police incident report, the responding officers wrote that they "found Janikowski incoherent and wildly flailing around on the floor. As a result of the uncontrolled flailing, Janikowski hit his head on the floor and caused a cut over his right eye."
The report said Janikowski did not respond to verbal requests and was placed in soft restraints on a gurney and taken by ambulance to Pacific Medical Centers' Davies campus.
Paul Healy, Janikowski's Florida-based agent, called reports that his client had overdosed "outlandish" and "totally false."
"I know he was out there at a nightclub in San Francisco and slipped and fell," Healy told The Associated Press. "At a lot of these clubs, people spill their drinks, and he slipped and whacked his head. You don't have a drug overdose Sunday night, and go to practice Monday morning."
The police report listed a man identifying himself as Jay Hoffman, Janikowski's roommate, who said a woman was dancing with Janikowski throughout the evening. Hoffman said he had seen the woman taking a drug and that she must have slipped it into the kicker's drink. Anonymous witnesses at the club told police they saw Janikowski voluntarily taking what appeared to be the designer drug GHB.
GHB (gamma hydroxyburate) is a drug popular at rave parties. It's called the "date-rape drug" because of its ability to incapaciate people.
The Raiders selected Janikowski with the 17th choice in the 2000 NFL draft. Despite off-the-field problems, the native of Poland was the first kicker in 21 years to be drafted in the first round.
Janikowski's five-year, $6.05 million contract with the Raiders reportedly includes a clause that he must pay back up to $25,000 for every game he misses due to suspension. He has previous arrests in Flordia since 1998.
In April 2001, Janikowski was acquitted on charges of drug possession and evidence tampering in Tallahasse, Fla. Police said that in June 2000 the former Florida State kicker poured GHB onto the floor of his car when an officer approached him. Eight days earlier, Janikowski was acquitted on a January 2000 bribery charge he offered a Tallahasse policeman $300 to release his roommate after an argument with a bouncer. He pleaded no contest to fighting outside a bar in 1998 and to a charge of being a minor in possession of alcohol in 2000.
Janikowski Cleared
Oakland place-kicker Sebastian Janikowski has been acquitted of criminal charges for the second time in a year in Tallahasse, Florida.
A jury of three men and three women deliberated for only 80 minutes before clearing Janikowski on charges of drug possession and evidence tampering on April 11, 2001. The former Florida State All-America was accussed of possessing the designer drug GHB, also known as the "date-rape" drug.
On June 13, another jury needed only 50 minutes to find Janikowski innocent of offering a police officer $300 to release his roommate after an argument with a bouncer at a nightclub.
In his latest trial, Janikowski faced up to five years in prison and possible deportation to his native Poland if convicted.
Police said Janikowski poured the clear liquid drug from a water bottle onto a passenger side floormat in the front seat of his Lexus when an undercover officer approached the car in a parking lot in the early morning of June 21. Janikowski testified he never touched the bottle and was unaware GHB was present when police arrested him.
After the trial ended, Janikowski told reporters: "I want to thank the jury. They looked at what happened in the case. They took everthing into consideration."
Janikowski Arrested - Again
Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski can't avoid trouble.
Eight days after being acquitted on federal bribery charges, the former Florida State kicker and two friends were arrested early June 21 in Tallahassee, Fla. on suspicion of felony possession of the designer drug GHB, also known as the "date-rape" drug.
Janikowski, 22, was released from Leon County Jail later in the morning after he pleaded not guilty in court and posted $2,500 in bond.
According to published reports, a plain-clothes police officer spotted Janikowski and two companions sitting in Janikowski's leased Lexus outside a Tallahassee bar at 12:30 a.m. The officer observed Janikowski pouring out the liquid onto the floormat of the car. Police tests showed the liquid was GHB, which can render the user unconscicous when mixed with alcohol.
If convicted. Janikowski faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $5,000 fine and deportation. The native of Poland has been in the United States the past five years as a resident alien. Prosecutors are expected to file formal charges within a month.
It's the second arrest for Janikowski in six months and his sixth in two years. All of his legal problems have occurred at or near Tallahassee nightclubs. In the most recent, a jury took 50 minutes to acquit him on charges that he tried to bribe a policeman $300 to let his roommate go following an arrest outside a nightclub.
Janikowski was chosen by Oakland with the 17th overall choice in the 2000 NFL draft.
Jury Sides With Janikowski
Kicker Seabastian Janikowski, the Raiders' top draft choice, was acquitted of a bribery charge in Tallahassee, Fla. on June 13.
The native of Poland faced deportation, up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted.
A six-person jury needed only 50 minutes to reach a verdict.
Janikowski, a two-time All-America for Florida State, was accused of offering $300 to a police officer to release his roommate, who had been arrested on a tresspassing charge outside a local nightclub Jan. 23.
Of the 21 people called for jury consideration, all had heard of Janikowski and many claimed they were Florida State fans, according to a published report.
Janikowski was successful on 66 of 83 field-goal attempts in three seasons with the Seminoles. Last season, he made 23 of 30 field-goal tries and all 47 extra-point attempts.
Janikowski, 22, was chosen by Oakland with the 17th choice in the 2000 NFL draft. He's the first kicker in 21 years to be taken in the opening round.
