Two Raiders Arrested
Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson and safety Marques Anderson were arrested early Dec. 20 in downtown Oakland for investigation of public intoxication, according to published reports.
The players reportedly were taken into custody at 4:20 a.m. after refusing to leave the back seat of a woman's car, Oakland Police Department spokeswoman Danielle Ashford told The Associated Press. They were arrested about 12 hours after the Raiders beat the Tennessee Titans 40-35 at Network Associates Coliseum.
The players spent the next four hours in Oakland City Jail before Woodson, 28, was released on his own recognizance, which is standard procedure in misdemeanor cases. Anderson, 25, had to post $5,000 bail because of an outstanding traffic violation. They were released between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.
"Apparently what happened, an officer in our transportation section was flagged down by a woman, who said the men were in the back seat of her car and wouldn't get out" Ashford said. "They were very uncooperative. They had problems maintaining their balance, bloodshot watery eyes and had a strong odor of alcohol."
If there is a conviction, Woodson and Anderson could be subject to league sanctions under the NFL's substance-abuse policy.
Speaking to reporters at his weekly news conference Dec. 20, Raiders coach Norv Turner said: "The thing we always talk about, those hours are where problems turn up. That's how you avoid them, by staying out of those situations."
Woodson didn't play against the Titans because of a knee injury. The four-time Pro Bowler hadn't missed a game since being suspended for then coach Bill Callahan for the 2003 regular-season finale for missing curfew.
In July 2000, Woodson was placed on one year's probation for impaired driving after attending a charity golf tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich.
