Raiders' Walker apparent victim of robbery, found unconscious

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LAS VEGAS -- Oakland Raiders wide receiver Javon Walker was found unconscious on a Las Vegas street Monday after apparently being the victim of a robbery.

Police spokesman Bill Cassell said in a statement that Walker was taken to a hospital with "significant injuries" after being found early Monday on a street off the Las Vegas Strip.

Cassell said Walker remained in fair condition at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.

A Raiders spokesman said the team was "in the process of gathering information" and had no further comment.

Walker signed a six-year, $55 million deal with the Raiders after being released by the Denver Broncos in February.

Walker injured his right knee for the second time in his career last season and was limited to eight games and 26 catches in 2007.

Walker was a first-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2001 and had a breakout season in 2004 with 89 catches for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He tore a ligament in his right knee the next season and played only one game.

He was traded to Denver in 2006 and bounced back with 69 catches for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns.

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LAS VEGAS -- Oakland Raiders wide receiver Javon Walker could be released from the hospital Tuesday, a day after he was beaten, robbed and left unconscious on a Las Vegas street after a night of partying, police said.

A large amount of cash and some jewelry were taken from Walker, who suffered "significant injuries," police said.

Police Lt. Clinton Nichols said detectives are retracing Walker's activities in the hours before he was found injured Monday morning on a street off the Las Vegas Strip.

"That's one of the first things we do, backtrack what he did and where he stayed," Nichols said, adding that the investigation was still in the early stages. "We knew there was a large amount of cash taken, and some jewelry."

Nichols said he believed Walker would be released after a 24-hour stay at the hospital. A hospital spokesman said he had no immediate information about Walker's condition.

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There are some tragic ironies to the Javon Walker robbery story.

Walker went to Las Vegas in the days after Darrent Williams was murdered in Denver on Jan. 1, 2007. Williams died in Walker's arms in a rented limousine after the two attended a New Year's Eve party in downtown Denver. Walker received a lot of criticism for going to Las Vegas and going to nightclubs instead of joining the rest of the organization in Fort Worth, Texas, at Williams' funeral.

Walker said in an HBO interview last summer that he fled Denver for Las Vegas because he was scared for his life.

In that same interview, Walker said a melee started before Williams was shot because Denver receiver Brandon Marshall and his cousin were spraying champagne at the Denver nightclubs and that it agitated gang members in attendance.

According to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Walker -- who signed with Oakland after being cut by Denver this offseason -- was spraying champagne at two Las Vegas nightclubs last weekend, including shortly before he was found unconscious.