The Green Bay Packers are getting Josh Jacobs back ahead of their Week 7 contest against the Detroit Lions, and the NFL’s decision in the matter has sparked emotions ranging from anger to confusion to elation.
Jacobs spent the first six weeks on the Commissioner’s Exempt List following pleas of no contest to two misdemeanor charges, one for battery and the other for criminal damage to property, stemming from a domestic incident in May.
“The NFL has told Packers RB Josh Jacobs that he’ll come off the commissioner-exempt list and can resume on-field football activities for Week 7,” Jason B. Hirschhorn of The Leap posted to X on Friday, October 16. “The recent legal developments left the league with no viable excuses to keep Jacobs on the list.”
To this point, Jacobs has missed all five games of the season and will miss one more against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, but he has remained gainfully employed — meaning he was essentially on paid leave. The NFL is going to issue a suspension for the running back, but if it is for six games or fewer, Jacobs will have already served it upon his return to football activities next week, as his absence up until now will factor into any discipline as time served.
Thus, if league issues a six-game suspension, Jacobs will simply have to repay the money the Packers paid him over the first six weeks of the campaign and he will be eligible to return to game action.
NFL Could Still Eventually Gain Access to Footage of Josh Jacobs’ Criminal Incident
The remaining issue, and the reason the NFL hasn’t issued a suspension yet, involves video footage of Jacobs’ interaction with his then girlfriend on the night in question.
That footage was evidence in the court case, after which the victim requested that the court seal it. Meanwhile, the league sought access to the video via public records requests to gain a clearer picture, both literally and figuratively, of what happened before issuing its decision.
The judge declined the victim’s request to seal the video permanently, instead referring custody of the evidence and an ultimate decision back to the investigating police department that gathered the footage while building its case. The NFL requested it from the department, after which Jacobs and/or the victim initiated a lawsuit(s) to stop its release, and within that stalemate is where circumstances currently stand.
Chicago Bears analyst Harrison Graham weighed in on the situation with surprise, as well as something of a warning to both the Packers and the NFL.
“I have no idea what the Josh Jacobs video shows, but if it ever sees the light of day, and it’s bad, the NFL and the Packers are gonna get killed for playing him,” Graham wrote. “I’m pretty surprised he’s being lifted off of the exempt list while the legal matters are ongoing.”
Technically, the criminal matters are not ongoing, as Jacobs’ pleas of no contest and the judge’s decrees of punishment on September 10, which did not include jail time for the RB, rendered that part of the process complete.
The NFL’s investigation remains ongoing and could lead to further disciplinary actions upon greater discovery, but that does not constitute a legal matter. The lawsuit(s) to keep the video evidence sealed, however, do.
Fan Reactions on Social Media Spanned From Disgust to Elation After Josh Jacobs’ News Broke
Fan reaction to the decision in its immediate aftermath was predictably mixed. Some on social media expressed anger and disgust.
“[He] accepts responsibility, but won’t let anyone know what he actually did,” one X user wrote in response to a statement from Jacobs’ attorneys to the NFL’s decision on Friday. “Ahhh. Got it. Thanks, Ray Rice … I mean, Josh Jacobs.”
“Packers may have Josh Jacobs available against the @Lions,” another person posted. “He should miss the whole season and/or be cut after he [pleaded] no contest (same as admitting guilt) and sued to stop release of the video. 🤷♂️”
Others were happy for Jacobs’ return, most frequently in the context of the fantasy football implications.
“Time to start Josh Jacobs again on my fantasy team,” one fan wrote.
And some fans of the Packers were also happy to see Jacobs re-enter the fold, as Green Bay is on a two-game win streak and the offensive line is looking better over that run.
“Josh Jacobs free #gopackgo,” a Green Bay fan posted.
Packers RB Josh Jacobs’ Return Sparks Strong Reactions Across NFL