Just days after he tied the record for the longest field goal in NFL history, Oakand Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski has been charged with misdemeanor battery and false imprisonment against a woman in an incident alleged to have occurred last year, according to court documents reviewed by the Contra Costa Times.
Attorneys for Janikowski and the alleged victim, Syrena Nicholson, met in court Thursday for a pretrial conference, according to the paper. No trial date has been set. The charges against Janikowski could result in a maximum of 18 months in jail and a $3,000 fine.
In court documents obtained by the paper, Nicholson, 36, alleges Janikowski "did unlawfully violate (her) personal liberty" and "did willfully and unlawfully use force and violence upon (her) person" in Walnut Creek on Sept. 24, 2010 -- one day before Janikowski and the Raiders flew to Arizona for a game against the Cardinals. No arrest was made then; Nicholson, a Berkeley resident, filed her complaint after the fact.
Other details were unclear. Nicholson did not return messages left on her phone by the newspaper. The Raiders were unavailable for comment.
Janikowski, 33, has a checkered past that includes four arrests while at Florida State and three arrests after being drafted by the Raiders.
Janikowski, the Raiders' all-time leading scorer with 1,153 points since being drafted in 2000, tied an NFL record tied an NFL record with a 63-yard field goal in Oakland's 23-20 victory Monday night at Denver.