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The legal situation surrounding Packers running back Josh Jacobs<\/a> took a significant step forward Thursday, with the Brown County District Attorney\u2019s Office formally charging him with two misdemeanors stemming from his May arrest.<\/p>\n Jacobs has been charged with one count of misdemeanor battery and one count of misdemeanor criminal damage to property. He was originally arrested in May following an alleged incident in Wisconsin and was booked on several potential charges, including felony strangulation and suffocation, battery related to domestic abuse, criminal damage to property related to domestic abuse, disorderly conduct related to domestic abuse and intimidation of a victim.<\/p>\n The charges ultimately filed are considerably less severe. Most notably, prosecutors did not charge Jacobs with felony strangulation. FOX6 in Milwaukee also reports, citing a source close to the case, that neither of the two misdemeanor charges filed Thursday carries a domestic violence designation.<\/p>\n Jacobs has denied the allegations through his attorneys since his arrest.<\/p>\n What Does the NFL Personal Conduct Policy Say?<\/p>\n This is where things get a little complicated. The NFL\u2019s Personal Conduct Policy allows the league to discipline a player regardless of what happens in criminal court. A conviction isn\u2019t required. In other words, charges being reduced or even eventually dismissed wouldn\u2019t necessarily prevent the NFL from suspending Jacobs if its own investigation determines he violated the policy.<\/p>\n However, the often-cited six-game suspension isn\u2019t automatically triggered simply because Jacobs was charged with battery. Under the current policy, a six-game suspension is the baseline for a first violation involving felony criminal assault or battery, domestic violence, dating violence, child abuse, other forms of family violence, or certain sexual assaults. The league can then adjust the punishment based on aggravating or mitigating circumstances.<\/p>\n That\u2019s an important distinction in Jacobs\u2019 case. He was initially arrested on allegations that included domestic abuse and felony strangulation, but those aren\u2019t the charges prosecutors ultimately filed. If the FOX6 report is accurate that the misdemeanor charges don\u2019t carry a domestic violence designation, it becomes much harder to simply assume Jacobs is headed for the standard six-game suspension.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s in the clear. The NFL conducts its own investigation and isn\u2019t bound by the district attorney\u2019s charging decisions. Ezekiel Elliott<\/a>, for example, received a six-game suspension in 2017 despite never being criminally charged.<\/p>\n When Will the Josh Jacobs<\/a> Case Be Resolved?<\/p>\n This is the biggest reason fantasy managers shouldn\u2019t assume a suspension is imminent. Jacobs\u2019 initial court appearance isn\u2019t scheduled until November 17, according to WTAQ in Green Bay. That\u2019s Week 11 of the NFL season.<\/p>\n An initial appearance isn\u2019t a trial. It\u2019s one of the first steps in the criminal process. From there, the case could proceed through additional hearings, negotiations between prosecutors and Jacobs\u2019 attorneys, a potential plea agreement or eventually a trial.<\/p>\n Most criminal cases are resolved without going to trial, so it would be premature to predict that Jacobs will ultimately end up in front of a jury. But if he contests the charges and the case moves toward trial, there\u2019s a strong possibility the legal proceedings would extend well beyond the 2026 NFL regular season.<\/p>\n The NFL doesn\u2019t technically have to wait for Jacobs\u2019 criminal case to be resolved before imposing discipline. Its Personal Conduct Policy gives the league broad authority to conduct its own investigation and punish players even without a criminal conviction.<\/p>\n