ALAMEDA, Calif. — Sebastian Janikowski and the Oakland Raiders agreed on a $16 million, four-year deal Tuesday that is the richest contract for a kicker in NFL history.
Janikowski, who will be guaranteed $9 million in the deal, was eligible to be an unrestricted free agent if the Raiders did not sign him to a contract or place the transition or franchise tag on him by Feb. 25. He made 26-of-29 field goals last season, with his only misses coming from 45, 57 and 66 yards.
• New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez is scheduled to have surgery today to repair the patella ligament in his left knee. He should be completely healthy by the start of training camp in July.
• The NFL Players Association accused the league of not sharing as much supplemental revenue with its lower-income teams as it is supposed to.
Jeffrey Kessler, the outside counsel for the NFLPA, said a filing by the union is a result of the NFLPA concluding the league violated the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and the supplemental revenue-sharing plan.
League spokesman Greg Aiello said the NFL has abided by the system, which was put into place with the 2006 CBA, and hasn’t hurt any low-revenue teams. Teams have to qualify — in essence, show they need the money — to receive the supplemental funds.
• Scottie Montgomery, a wide receiver for the Broncos from 2000-02, was named the Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receivers coach.
Former Memphis State coach Kirk dies
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Dana Kirk, who coached the Memphis State Tigers to a 1985 Final Four appearance that was vacated because of NCAA violations, died Monday. He was 74.
Kirk was fired after the 1986 season, just before he was indicted on income tax evasion. He served four months in a federal minimum-security prison in Montgomery, Ala.
Kirk was 158-58 in seven years at the school now called the University of Memphis. The team was 31-4 when it went to the Final Four. Besides vacating the Final Four appearance, the Tigers were forced to sit out the 1987 NCAA Tournament.
• The attorney for former Oklahoma State coach Sean Sutton entered a not-guilty plea to four felony drug-related charges and said his client is in a treatment center. A hearing was set for April 5.
Footnotes.
Robert Guerrero vacated his International Boxing Federation 130-pound title to be with his wife, Casey, during the latest steps in her lengthy battle with leukemia.
• Former football player Mark Becker, in an audio recording played before a packed Butler County (Iowa) courtroom, told Iowa police he repeatedly shot his high school coach because he believed him to be a devil who turned students “into dead people,” according to an interview with the murder suspect recorded just hours after Ed Thomas‘ death June 24.
• Royal Liverpool will host the 2014 British Open, the 12th time it will stage golf’s oldest major.
• Olympic high jump champion Tia Hellebaut, eight months after giving birth to a daughter and 14 months after her retirement, said she’s aiming to compete at the 2012 London Games.
