Denver Broncos outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper has had his trial moved from mid-November to early March.
Cooper appeared in Douglas County Court on Monday for a motions hearing and his trial was scheduled for March 2-4, with a pre-trial set for Feb. 19 and a hearing set for Feb. 23, according to the Denver Post's Sam Jane. Cooper is currently on Roger Goodell's commissioner’s exempt list, but the judge ruled that Cooper can travel for away games if he is removed from that list before the March trial.
Cooper is facing multiple charges, including a felony assault charge, related to two arrests following incidents with his former girlfriend in June. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in August. Cooper is not eligible to practice or play in games
while on the NFL's commissioner’s exempt list.
The league's baseline suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy is six games, and Denver's set to face their sixth game of the season on Thursday. So it seems within the realm of possibility that Goodell could remove Cooper from the exempt list ahead of Week 7. The NFL would then still have the option to potentially hand down discipline in the future if Cooper is found guilty in an eventual trial. Such a scenario is merely speculation, however, and Cooper's status on the exempt list remains unchanged as of the time of publication.
“We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy," NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told KUSA-TV's Mike Klis on Monday.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Jonathon Cooper has trial moved to March, which could impact roster status
