The first court date of Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs has been moved up to Thursday, Sept. 10, an advance of over two months, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
The court appearance, which was originally scheduled for Nov. 17 during the Packers' bye week, is an initial hearing on charges of battery and criminal damage to property, two Class A misdemeanors, stemming from an incident between Jacobs and his girlfriend in Brown Country on May 23. He was formally charged on Aug. 27.
Jacobs was placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List on Sunday before final roster cutdowns. He cannot play or practice while on the list, but he can be around the team's facility. The NFL is not required to let the legal process play out before issuing punishment,
but the exempt list allows time for the league to review the case. It's possible moving up the initial hearing will accelerate the handling of the case moving forward, both legally and within the league.
According to FOX-11 in Green Bay, Jacobs is not required to attend the initial hearing in person, and he filed an authorization for his attorneys to "act on his behalf" during the hearing.
The Packers face the Minnesota Vikings in the regular season opener on Sunday, Sept. 13. General manager Brian Gutekunst said he's hopeful Jacobs will play this season, but the team wants to let the legal process play out before any decisions are made.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Josh Jacobs' initial court hearing moved up to Sept. 10
