GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs pleaded no contest during an initial hearing at the Brown County Courthouse on Thursday to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property charges stemming from a May incident with a female acquaintance.
According to a statement issued by Jacobs’ attorneys, Jacobs was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus costs on the misdemeanor battery charge. The court will suspend the proceeding on the criminal charge for damage to property for 12 months, at which time it will be dismissed upon the completion of the terms of the plea agreement. Jacobs was ordered to avoid contacting the victim, attend counseling and pay restitution to the victim.
One of Jacobs’ attorneys said his client has already begun voluntary counseling.
“With this agreement, Josh has accepted responsibility for his conduct and resolved this matter,” the attorneys’ statement read.
Jacobs told the court during Thursday’s hearing: “I fully understand the seriousness of the situation, and I take full responsibility.”
What we learned from Josh Jacobs’ court appearance
Matt Schneidman
Jacobs has been on the commissioner’s exempt list since Aug. 30, meaning he has been unable to practice or play until NFL commissioner Roger Goodell reinstates him. Shortly after Thursday’s no-contest plea, the NFL released a statement saying that Jacobs’ status on the list is unchanged.
“We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy. There is no change to his status as he remains on the Commissioner’s Exempt list,” the league’s statement read.
It remains to be seen whether the NFL will suspend Jacobs. The Packers are scheduled to play at Minnesota in their regular-season opener this Sunday.
The Hobart/Lawrence Police Department initially arrested Jacobs on May 26 on five charges relating to domestic abuse — felony strangulation and suffocation, and four misdemeanors: battery (domestic abuse), criminal damage to property (domestic abuse), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse) and intimidation of a victim.
Jacobs was jailed but released the following day after the Brown County District Attorney’s Office found insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges. After a months-long investigation, the D.A.’s office released an incident report last month and charged Jacobs with two misdemeanors.
The report states that at approximately 8:37 a.m. on May 23, the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department was dispatched to Jacobs’ Green Bay-area residence for a report of a disturbance between a male and female.
According to the report, the victim told officers that she had a lump on her head as a result of an altercation with Jacobs over a phone. She said she had been looking through Jacobs’ phone and saw he had been talking to other women. She then tried to retrieve her phone, which she said Jacobs had taken, but he resisted before he grabbed her arm and began a physical struggle that lasted several minutes.
Jacobs, 28, is a three-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL in rushing while with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023.