Former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden recently took a job at Barstool Sports, and on a recent livestream he told a hilarious story about kicker Sebastian Janikowski that is sure to give Raiders fans a chuckle.
During the livestream, Gruden admitted he once sent Janikowski out for a field goal despite the fact that the kicker might've been "drunk," according to Gruden's special teams coach at the time, Bob Casullo.
Gruden did not say when the game was specifically, but it has been tracked down to the Nov. 19, 2000 meeting between the Raiders and New Orleans Saints. The kick came from 49 yards out and Janikowski actually knocked it through.
“We were playing, when I was with the Raiders, we drafted Janikowski in the first round,” Gruden said. “Janikowski, he was missing field goals the first three games and I was really pissed.
"So we went to play the Saints in New Orleans and Janikowski’s late for curfew. He didn’t get back until 3 am, so now I’m really pissed. He can’t make field goals, and he can’t make curfew," Gruden added.
“We get a couple [of] first downs, and it’s a 56- or 58-yard field goal (it was 49 yards). I go, ‘Field goal!'” Gruden said. “So Bob Casullo, the special teams coach, he says, ‘Are you out of your f****** mind? He’s drunk! He can’t make it!’
"I go, ‘Field goal!’ I actually wanted him to miss. He hit it right down the middle and I meet him [and say], ‘Great f****** kick! Loved it, brother. As long as you can kick!'”
You can check out the video of Gruden telling the story below, but warning: NSFW language.
The Raiders went on to win the game, 31-22, which improved their record to 9-2 at the time. Gruden's squad ultimately finished 12-4 that season and lost in the AFC Championship Game to the Baltimore Ravens.
Despite a rocky start, Janikowski went on to have a long 17-year career with the franchise. He spent 18 years in the NFL in total, with his last season coming in 2018 with the Seattle Seahawks.
