DECATUR, Ala. (AP) – A judge on Friday convicted Dallas Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain of resisting arrest and disorderly conduct in his Alabama hometown and imposed an 18-day jail term that could interrupt the player’s bid to restart his career.
Municipal Judge Billy Cook convicted McClain on the misdemeanor counts after a non-jury trial that lasted about three hours. McClain was accused of yelling an obscenity at police trying to arrest him during a disturbance in a crowded city park in 2013.
McClain won’t have to report for his jail sentence until after an appeal is complete in state court. Cook also ordered McClain to pay $1,572 in fines and court costs. It’s unclear how long an appeal might take.
The judge signed a document stating McClain, 25, was free to leave the state while challenging the conviction.
Defense attorney Harvey Steinberg said McClain would head to Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, Calif., within hours of the trial.