Raider Kicker Janikowski Acquitted of Bribery Charge

A jury in Tallahassee, Fla., needed only 50 minutes Tuesday to acquit former Florida State kicker Sebastian Janikowski of a charge he tried to bribe a policeman to release his roommate.

Janikowski, the first-round draft choice of the Oakland Raiders, was accused of offering the officer $300 to release his friend, who had been arrested on a trespassing charge after not being allowed into a nightclub.

The defense argued that Janikowski, a 22-year-old native of Poland, was simply trying to help out a friend and never had any intention of breaking the law. They contended Janikowski might easily have misunderstood what was happening because he has been in the country only six years and is still learning English.

But the prosecution’s lead witness, former Tallahassee police officer Chris Knight, said he was convinced Janikowski tried to bribe him on Jan. 23 with three $100 bills.

*

Former NFL running back Lawrence Phillips, arrested May 27 at his Beverly Hills home after police responded to a domestic violence call, was ordered to stand trial on four felony and two misdemeanor charges involving an alleged beating of his girlfriend.

*

Detroit Lion cornerback Bryant Westbrook was arrested in Farmington Hills, Mich., on a drunk-driving charge after police said his car drifted across three lanes, then stopped in the middle of the road. Farmington Hills Police Chief William Dwyer said Westbrook was “very cooperative and very polite during his arrest.” A preliminary breath test showed Westbrook’s blood-alcohol level was 0.15, above the legal limit of 0.10 for drunk driving, Dwyer said.

Pro Football

A day after Steve Young retired, the San Francisco 49ers signed former Notre Dame quarterback Rick Mirer, a nomadic veteran who immediately becomes the most experienced quarterback on their roster. Mirer, 30, got a one-year contract worth $440,000.

He’s expected to back up Jeff Garcia, who started 10 games last season, his first in the NFL, after Young went down Sept. 27 at Arizona with his fourth concussion in three years.

The only other quarterbacks on the 49ers’ roster are rookies Giovanni Carmazzi and Tim Rattay.

The Tennessee Titans announced that Coach Jeff Fisher has agreed to a three-year contract extension through the 2003 season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Fisher will be among the highest-paid coaches in the NFL.

Daryl Johnston, whose rugged blocking helped the Dallas Cowboys win three Super Bowls in the 1990s yet ultimately led to severe neck problems, will announce his retirement Thursday. Johnston will hold a news conference at Texas Stadium to formally say goodbye after 11 seasons. . . . Detroit Lion quarterback Charlie Batch underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his knee. Batch had three screws implanted in his knee by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. Batch was injured during a workout June 5. The Lions also announced that they have signed unrestricted free-agent quarterback Stoney Case to a one-year contract. Veteran quarterback Mike Tomczak was signed as a free agent in March to be Batch’s backup.

The Kansas City Chiefs signed free-agent tight end Troy Drayton to a one-year contract. The one-time Ram spent the last three seasons with Miami. He is expected to back up Tony Gonzalez. . . . The Arizona Cardinals and defensive tackle Mark Smith agreed to a one-year contract for a little more than $1 million. The signing is expected to clear the way for the Cardinals to release defensive tackle Eric Swann, a move that would give the team an extra $3.5 million of room under the salary cap. . . . The Washington Redskins added depth to their roster by signing guard Jay Leeuwenburg and defensive end Nolan Harrison. . . . Unrestricted free-agent lineman Ben Coleman agreed to terms of a one-year contract with the San Diego Chargers, four days after the team cut 12-year veteran left tackle John Jackson. . . . Veteran guard Kevin Donnalley, released by the Miami Dolphins on June 2 in a salary-cap move, signed a one-year contract with the team. . . . The NFL is getting sued over bad calls. AT&T; filed a $100,527.18 lawsuit against the NFL, claiming the league is refusing to pay a phone bill. The dispute is over calls made in June 1998 from the Los Angeles office of NFL Properties. The NFL claims someone broke into the phone system.

Names in the News

A US Airways passenger says Minnesota Viking wide receiver Randy Moss did nothing to provoke a confrontation over the storage of carry-on luggage with a flight attendant that led to his removal from the airplane.

“He was a complete gentleman,” Patty Garcia said from her home in Tampa, Fla. “If there was any instigation, it was by her. I’ve never seen anyone get treated the way he did. Ever.”

Garcia’s name was given to the Associated Press by Moss’ agent, Dante diTrapano, who had obtained her name from a witness list compiled by airport security. Garcia did not know who Moss was when he boarded the flight from Charleston, W.Va., to Pittsburgh on Monday.

In response to an NCAA probe into claims that Nevada Las Vegas boosters gave the Clippers’ Lamar Odom extra benefits, including $5,600, the school said any improprieties between Odom and Las Vegas dentist David Chapman came after Odom was released from his national letter of intent in 1997. The school sent a 122-page response to the NCAA and will present its case to the infractions committee on Aug. 11-13 in Beaver Creek, Colo. . . . Murray Sperber, an Indiana University professor who is one of basketball Coach Bob Knight’s harshest critics, says harassment and threats have forced him to take an unpaid leave of absence. He would not say when he will return.

Offensive lineman Jason Respert, one of the nation’s top high school recruits, signed with Tennessee, a week after pleading no contest to trespassing and simple battery charges during a recruiting visit to Florida. Respert, 18, of Warner-Robins, Ga., was accused of sneaking into the bedroom of a Florida student and fondling her while she slept during a recruiting visit he made Jan. 29. When the charges were filed, Florida and Georgia withdrew their scholarship offers. Tennessee, however, reserved its final decision until after the court case. . . . Receiver Jabar Gaffney, who last year as a redshirt freshman at Florida stole cash and jewelry from a locker room during a high school championship game and was kicked off the team, will get a second chance. Coach Steve Spurrier will allow Gaffney to try to make the team as a walk-on.

Alexandra Stevenson, a surprise semifinalist a year ago in her first Wimbledon, was beaten by Shinobu Asagoe of Japan, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, in the first round of the DFS Classic in Birmingham, England. Top-seeded Nathalie Tauziat, a Wimbledon finalist in 1998, beat Erica De Lone, 6-1, 7-5, and No. 3 Jennifer Capriati was a 6-1, 7-5 winner over Australia’s Rachel McQuillan.

Felix Trinidad will make his first defense of his World Boxing Assn. super-welterweight title against No. 1-ranked challenger Mamadou Thiam on July 22 in Miami. . . . Former World Boxing Council super welterweight champion Duane Thomas, 39, was fatally shot while walking out of a party store in Detroit.