GREEN BAY, Wis. — Josh Jacobs will pay a $1,000 fine on a misdemeanor battery charge after the Green Bay Packers running back pleaded no contest Thursday morning at the Brown County Courthouse.
Both counts in the case, battery and criminal damage to property, stem from a May altercation between Jacobs and his girlfriend at his home in Hobart.
During Thursday’s hearing, prosecutors told the court that jail time was unnecessary because Jacobs had no prior record, according to WBAY. The judge entered a conviction on the battery count and followed the state’s recommendation on the fine, which also carries court costs. Under a deferred judgment agreement, the court will suspend proceedings on the criminal damage to property count for 12 months, after which that charge will be dismissed if Jacobs completes the terms of the agreement, according to a statement from his attorneys.
The court also ordered Jacobs to have no contact with the victim, submit to Brown County Criminal Justice Services, undergo counseling, and pay restitution to the victim. An attorney for Jacobs said Jacobs has already begun counseling voluntarily.
Jacobs addressed the court during Thursday morning’s proceedings.
“I fully understand the seriousness of the situation and I take full responsibility,” Jacobs said, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman reported.
Jacobs’ attorneys, David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld, and Clarence F. Duchac III, released a statement after the hearing.
“With this agreement, Josh has accepted responsibility for his conduct and resolved this matter,” the attorneys said. “Today’s resolution is set against a career long history of Josh’s community work while in the NFL, which has centered on the circumstances of his early life.”
The statement pointed to 2022, when Jacobs’ Las Vegas Raiders teammates picked him for the Ed Block Courage Award. The attorneys also cited a 2020 partnership with Kia, built around his own experience with homelessness, that raised $1 million for Covenant House, StandUp for Kids, and Positive Tomorrows.
Josh Jacobs Remains On Commissioner Exempt List
Thursday’s plea came three days before Green Bay opens the regular season Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Jacobs remains on the commissioner exempt list, where the NFL placed him Aug. 30, three days after the charges were filed, and the league said at the time that its review of the case was ongoing.
The designation keeps Jacobs off the 53-man roster, and he can’t practice or attend games while it’s in place. He is still being paid, though, and with the team’s permission he can be at the facility for meetings, individual workouts, and treatment. Any suspension the league eventually hands down would be credited with the games Jacobs has already missed on the list under Article 46 of the collective bargaining agreement, but he’d have to pay back his salary for those games.
On Sunday, Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he hoped Thursday’s hearing would give the team some clarity on Jacobs. LaFleur had also taken questions about Jacobs on Sept. 1, two days after the league’s move.
“What he tells me, I believe him and I trust him,” LaFleur said.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst told reporters that same week that he’s hopeful Jacobs returns before the season ends. Gutekunst added that Green Bay would be prepared either way.
How the Case Against Josh Jacobs Unfolded
Hobart-Lawrence police were sent to Jacobs’ home May 23 after dispatchers picked up an open 911 line and heard yelling and swearing before it disconnected, according to the criminal complaint. Jacobs was arrested later that month and released from jail the following day.
Police originally booked him on five counts. A felony count of strangulation and suffocation topped the list, which also included battery, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct, and intimidation of a victim.
Brown County District Attorney David Lasee filed only the two misdemeanor counts Aug. 27, saying some of the evidence had only recently become available because of ongoing forensic work by law enforcement. Jacobs’ attorneys noted at the time that the counts did not include domestic violence.
In the complaint, Jacobs’ girlfriend told police the two argued after she saw he had been talking to other women, and she said Jacobs threw her to the ground as she tried to leave through the garage, causing her to strike her head. The complaint states that surveillance video showed Jacobs taking her phone while she was on the garage floor and returning roughly 40 seconds later, when he appeared to damage it.
The Packers released a statement after the charges were filed.
“We will continue to cooperate with the NFL as we work through the process,” the team said.
Jacobs’ initial appearance was originally scheduled for Nov. 17, during Green Bay’s bye week, before court records showed Sept. 4 that the hearing had been moved up to Thursday.
Where The Packers Backfield Stands Without Josh Jacobs
With Jacobs sidelined, Green Bay’s running back room consists of MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, and Kaleb Johnson. The Packers acquired Johnson, a 2025 third-round pick, from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 30 in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round selection.
Jacobs, 28, signed with Green Bay as a free agent in 2024 after five seasons with the Raiders, who drafted him 24th overall in 2019. The three-time Pro Bowl selection ran for 1,329 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns in his first season with the Packers and followed with 929 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in 15 games last season.
