Raiders Player Could Be in Trouble for Barking at Dog

An Oakland Raiders linebacker is facing up to seven years in prison after he allegedly barked at a police dog shortly before playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field last Sunday, Penn Live reports. According to the Guardian, K-9 Banditt was looking for explosives at the stadium when Ray-Ray Armstrong reportedly lifted up his shirt, pounded on his chest, and barked at the police dog. The officer with Banditt described Armstrong's behavior as "aggressive and confrontational" toward the dog, WTAE reports. "The player was leaving the locker room, en route to the field, when he engaged in conduct that was very intimidating and threatening," a sheriff's office spokesperson says.

Penn Live reports taunting a police dog is a felony in Pennsylvania and carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a $15,000 fine. Officials are reviewing security camera footage and eyewitness accounts before deciding whether to press charges, which could come by the end of the week. According to WTAE, Armstrong was not arrested following the incident and he did play in the game, recording one tackle against the Steelers. Raiders coach Jack Del Rio doesn't seem too concerned about possible charges. "I’m going to put it in the ‘silly’ category,” the Guardian quotes Del Rio as saying during an NFL radio show. “I wouldn’t make too much of it.” (More Oakland Raiders stories.)