Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The NFL suspended former Washington Football Team running back Derrius Guice six games for violating the league's personal conduct policy, it was announced Friday.
The six-game suspension stems from Guice's arrest on domestic violence charges in August 2020. He was booked on charges of felony strangulation and four misdemeanors for allegedly choking and shoving his then-girlfriend -- along with destroying her cellphone -- over a six-month period early last year.
Washington released Guice shortly after he was arrested. The free-agent tailback hasn't played in the NFL since.
Loudoun County, Va., prosecutors dropped the felony charge in January, and the misdemeanors were dismissed in June after a settlement was reached with the woman.
Related
The case was scheduled to go to trial, and the 24-year-old Guice could have faced prison time if convicted.
Despite the charges being thrown out, the NFL's conduct policy -- which is collectively bargained with the NFL Players Association -- doesn't require a conviction or an arrest for a player or coach to be found in violation.
In 2016, two women accused Guice of sexual assault while he was a freshman at LSU. That same year, a third student at the school alleged that Guice took a partially nude photo of her without her knowledge and showed the images to his teammates. Guice has denied those allegations.
The WFT selected Guice in the second round of the 2018 draft. He missed all of his rookie season after suffering a torn ACL in training camp.
Guice then missed 11 games in the 2019 campaign due to another knee injury. In five career games, he has 245 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries.
