Green Bay Packers star running back Josh Jacobs pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property charges at the Brown County Courthouse this Thursday, per The Athletic. This sets the stage for the NFL to potentially hand down a suspension in the near future.
The court accepted Jacobs' no-contest plea to the damage-to-property charge with five conditions, per ESPN. He cannot commit any further criminal acts; he must have no contact with the victim; there must be supervision and counseling; and Jacobs will pay restitution to the victim.
"I fully understand the seriousness of the situation and I take full responsibility," Jacobs said during the hearing, per Matt Schneidman.
Jacobs was placed on the NFL's commissioner's exempt list last month as the league investigated his May arrest. While on the exempt list, Jacobs is not allowed to practice with the team or attend games. The All-Pro running back was able to get his court hearing -- initially scheduled for Nov. 17 -- moved up to this Thursday.
Despite Thursday's developments, the NFL said in a statement there is no change to Jacob's status on the commissioner's exempt list.
"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."
Jacobs' attorneys, who were David Chesnoff, Richard Schonfeld and Clarence Duchac, issued a statement on Thursday's resolution:
"Josh Jacobs today agreed to enter a plea of guilty or no contest to one count of Misdemeanor Criminal Damage to Property and one count of Misdemeanor Battery in Brown County Circuit Court. The State recommended and the Judge issued a fine of $1000 plus costs as sentence for the Battery Count. Under the terms of the agreement, the Court will suspend the proceeding on the Criminal Damage to Property Count for 12 months, at which time it will be dismissed upon completion of the terms of the agreement.
With this agreement, Josh has accepted responsibility for his conduct and resolved this matter. 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 "resolution" to this case does not mean Jacobs will be suspended for fewer or more games, but what it does do is open the door for the league to potentially conclude its investigation in an expeditious manner. When it comes to domestic violence, the collective bargaining agreement points to a suspension of six games. However, we've seen cases where players receive more severe suspensions, such as James Pearce Jr. with his eight-game suspension this year, and less severe punishments, such as when Von Miller was issued a four-game suspension in 2024 after violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.
