GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs pleaded no contest during an initial hearing in Brown County Court on Thursday to misdemeanor charges of assault and criminal damage to property stemming from a May incident with a female acquaintance. According to a statement released by Jacobs’ attorneys, Jacobs was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus costs for misdemeanor battery. The court will stay proceedings on the criminal property damage charge for 12 months, at which time it will be dismissed once the terms of the plea agreement have been met. Jacobs was ordered to avoid contacting the victim, attend therapy, and pay restitution to the victim. One of Jacobs’ attorneys said his client has already begun voluntary therapy. “With this agreement, Josh accepted responsibility for his conduct and resolved this matter,” the attorneys’ statement said. 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 August 30, meaning he has not been able to practice or play until NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reinstates him. Shortly after Thursday’s no-contest plea, the NFL issued a statement saying Jacobs’ roster status has not changed. “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 statement read. It remains to be seen if 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 domestic abuse-related charges: felony strangulation and suffocation, and four misdemeanors: assault (domestic abuse), criminal damage to property (domestic abuse), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse), and intimidation of a victim. Jacobs was jailed but released the next day after the Brown County District Attorney’s office found insufficient evidence to file criminal charges. After a months-long investigation, the district attorney’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’ residence in the Green Bay area for a report of a disturbance between a man and a woman. According to the report, the victim told officers she had a lump on her head as a result of an altercation with Jacobs over the phone. She said she had been looking at Jacobs’ phone and saw that he had been talking to other women. She then tried to get her phone back, which she said Jacobs had taken, but he resisted before grabbing her arm and starting a physical struggle that lasted several minutes. Jacobs, 28, is a three-time Pro Bowler and led the NFL in rushing while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023.
