GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Antonio Morrison, a linebacker from the University of Florida football team who was expected to start this fall, has been arrested on several charges, including resisting arrest. Authorities say Morrison barked at a police dog.
Morrison, 19 and in his second year with the Gators, allegedly walked near a vehicle containing Bear, a Gainesville, Fla., police dog on Sunday. Florida law holds it as a crime to “harass” a police canine “in the performance of its duties.”
Morrison has since insisted that Bear barked at him first.
Florida head coach Will Muschamp said he was “extremely disappointed” by the barking incident and promised that Morrison will be suspended for at least two games of the SEC powerhouse’s season.
It is Morrison’s second arrest this summer. The Bolingbrook, Ill., native was charged with battery last month after allegedly punching a bouncer who refused to give him a discount.
At least one Florida prosecutor questioned Morrison’s most recent arrest.
“Based on the initial report, I have to question the sufficiency of the evidence to constitute a crime,” Florida State Attorney Bill Cervone told the Gainesville Sun. “Simply barking at a dog may not be enough.”
