TROUBLING START: QUESTIONABLE DRAFT CHOICE LOOKS EVEN WORSE AFTER LATEST LAPSE IN JUDGMENT

THE RAIDERS hoped Sebastian Janikowski would make an immediate impact. And
he has.

He has messed with their future before even stepping on the field.

The Raiders' No. 1 draft pick might never make it into the NFL's record
book. But Janikowski may have set a mark for the quickest arrest in league
history.

The customary NFL arrest procedure is as follows: Either be arrested before
the draft, while still able to use the ``naive college student'' excuse. Or
be arrested after cashing your signing bonus. Athletes can choose either
path. A growing number choose both.

But has a No. 1 draft pick ever been arrested in June, that golden month
when college is finally behind, training camp is still ahead and everyone
wants to be his best friend? Our researchers are still checking.

It was just nine days ago that Janikowski was handed a second chance. Well,
actually it was about his sixth chance -- one chance for every year he has
been in this country from his native Poland. On June 13, he was acquitted
by a Tallahassee jury of charges of bribing a police officer.

``I just want to put everything behind me, show people what kind of person
I am,'' Janikowski said of his troubles. He spoke of learning from his
mistakes, turning over a new leaf. Janikowski's lawyers claimed their
client had language difficulties, but all the cliches translated easily to
Polish.

So to celebrate his one-week anniversary of a clean slate, Janikowski was
arrested in Tallahassee by Florida State University police and charged with
one count of felony possession of a controlled substance. According to
police, Janikowski and his buddies had a vial of GHB, an illegal substance
with absolutely no redeeming social value.

Is this serious? Yes. Is it possible that Janikowski could be convicted?
Yes. Is it possible that immigration authorities will have questions? Yes.

Of course, it is also absolutely possible that Janikowski could be
acquitted or that charges could be dropped. After all, this is a country
where you're innocent until proved guilty, and that goes triple if you're
an athlete.

What isn't possible is that the product of FSU (Federally Stupid
University) could be acquitted of stupidity. He is completely guilty of
that, just as Ray Lewis -- recently cleared on murder charges -- would be
locked up in the court of common sense for a complete lack of judgment
about picking associates and party locations.

Janikowski has had plenty of opportunity to get ahead of the learning curve
on such issues. He seems to spend all of his time lurking in the shadows of
parking lots behind seedy Tallahassee bars. He was in a fight outside a
bar, arrested for trespassing outside a bar, missed curfew while outside a
bar.

Janikowski, like a lot of players at Florida State and other big-time
collegiate programs, has been on a free pass. Remember when he missed
curfew in New Orleans the week before the national championship? The
teammates he was with were suspended. Not Janikowski. Bobby Bowden played
his valuable kicker, citing the ``Warsaw rules.'' His teammates laughed off
his antics as typical.

Some of his troubles were excused because he was from another country.
Having spent some time in places where authorities expect a cash donation
before allowing you to move along, I can almost see how Janikowski might
have thought that was traditional in this country. Almost.

But his experience -- the arrest, trial and eventual acquittal -- should
have scared the cleats off him. Instead, after coming to Oakland for
mini-camp after his acquittal, he returned to Tallahassee, back to the
dangerous gloom of a bar parking lot.

Raiders Coach Jon Gruden said in April that he warned Janikowski that the
kicker was ``going to be very visible here with his new situation.'' Gruden
couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday. He was on vacation in --
coincidentally -- Florida. Let's hope Cindy and the boys won't mind hanging
out by the pool alone while Daddy attends an arraignment.

Did the Raiders make a mistake in drafting Janikowski? Maybe. You'll hear a
lot of talk about the bad-boy Raiders willing to take a risk. Janikowski
comes complete with a list of violations both large (the bribery charge)
and small (missing curfew, playing pickup basketball and injuring his ankle
before mini-camp). But the Raiders had a glaring need, and they tried to
fill it.

The truth is, if the Raiders hadn't taken Janikowski, Kansas City or
another team would have snatched him up. The man has undeniable talent,
which is what counts on draft day. The 49ers and Rams have paid Lawrence
Phillips, the Panthers employed Rae Carruth, the Ravens had Ray Lewis, the
Packers once adored Mark Chmura. What team hasn't had a player explode on
them? If you damn one team for moral bankruptcy, then damn the entire
league.

But the Raiders may end up paying dearly for their mistake. First-round
choices are precious commodities, the building blocks for success. The
Raiders just need to look across the bay to see what comes of squandered
picks. The Raiders have made their mistakes in the past -- Todd Marinovich
comes to mind. But their recent first-round choices -- players like Charles
Woodson and Darrell Russell -- fuel their hope.

Janikowski was supposed to provide more hope. Instead, he has added to the
dark cloud hanging over the Raiders, a cloud that in part stems from the
deaths of Leon Bender and Eric Turner.

How the Raiders proceed will be interesting. Janikowski is not signed --
his agent was scheduled to meet with Raiders executives Wednesday -- and
has lost leverage. But the Raiders still have the need, and Janikowski
still has the leg.

At the very least, the Raiders are guilty of not demanding that the
unpredictable Janikowski stay under their watch.

At the very least, Janikowski is guilty of sheer stupidity.

At the worst, his career is over. Before it even began.

Contact Ann Killion at akillion@sjmercury.com or (408) 920-5805. Fax (408)
920-5244.