Packers RB Josh Jacobs reaches plea deal in battery case

Brown County Court Resolution and Plea Terms

Appearing in Brown County Court on Thursday, Josh Jacobs moved up a court date originally scheduled for Nov. 17 to resolve charges stemming from an arrest on May 26 following a May 23 incident at his home. Under the terms of the resolution, the court found Jacobs guilty of misdemeanor battery and ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine plus costs, as reported by WISN.

For the second misdemeanor charge of criminal damage to property, the court accepted a deferred judgment agreement. To have this charge dismissed by the state after 12 months, Jacobs must successfully complete five conditions:

• Commit no further criminal acts
• Have no contact with the victim
• Submit to supervision
• Complete a batterer’s counseling course
• Pay restitution to the victim

Addressing the court directly during the hearing, the running back accepted responsibility for the incident.

“I fully understand the seriousness of the situation and I take full responsibility,”

Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers running back

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.

Legal Defense and Team Response

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 t[he agreement].”

First court hearing for Packers’ Josh Jacobs moved up to Thursday

Head coach Matt LaFleur and the Packers have stood behind the 28-year-old throughout the process, vowing to let the legal situation unfold. It also shortens the runway for MarShawn Lloyd, Kaleb Johnson and Chris Brooks to make noise and cut into his work. Jacobs was the RB12 last season as the Packers’ bellcow, and it’d be a surprise if he didn’t have close to that workload upon his return as an upside RB2.

NFL Review and Commissioner’s Exempt List Status

The NFL announced on Aug. 30 that Jacobs was being placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, rendering him ineligible to play as the regular season neared. The league didn’t provide a timeline for when Jacobs could come off that list. While on the exempt list, Jacobs is not allowed to practice with the team or attend games.

“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 NFL

The NFL Personal Conduct Policy has a baseline suspension of six games for domestic violence. The State of Wisconsin did not count this as domestic violence because the victim was not living with Jacobs at the time, but the NFL will most likely consider this a domestic violence issue. There is some precedent of other battery charges being originally six games and then reduced to lower than that, but the most likely scenario is roughly six games, beginning in Week 1. If he’s suspended later on, games missed on the exempt List will count toward his suspension. He’d likely be fined his salary for games missed while on the exempt List.