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Jaguars' Fowler charged with 3 misdemeanors, faces up to 1 year in jail

Logan Bowles / USA TODAY Sports

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler has been charged with three misdemeanors consisting of first-degree battery, criminal mischief, and petit theft, according to NFL.com.

The charges stem from Fowler's July arrest in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Fowler is subject to potential discipline under the NFL's personal conduct policy and faces up to a year in prison for the incident in which he was seen punching a man after a brief verbal confrontation and stepping on the man's glasses, according to police reports obtained by NFL.com.

Florida State prosecutor Bernie McCabe's office alleges Fowler "willfully and maliciously" damaged the man's property and intentionally caused bodily harm.

Fowler was previously arrested on misdemeanor assault and resisting arrest charges in Miami Beach in March 2016. He entered a diversion program and the case was closed in December of last year.

The third-overall choice in the 2015 NFL Draft had his rookie season erased due to a knee injury. He went on to post four sacks and 32 tackles in 2016, finishing the season ranked as Pro Football Focus' 75th edge rusher.

Fowler issued an apology statement when training camp opened last month.

"I just wanted to let people know and everybody know that's not me as a person, I'm a better person than that and it won't happen again. Like I told (executive vice president) Tom (Coughlin), 'I'm very sorry.' I told him that I apologize and I can't make the organization look like that and put us in situations like that because that's not us, that's not how we are as a team, and that's not how we are as an organization."

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