The Green Bay Packers are gearing up for their Week 1 action against the Minnesota Vikings, but a dark cloud continues to hover around this team, as Josh Jacobs‘ legal situation remains a prominent topic of discussion. Jacobs is currently facing misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property stemming from an incident involving a woman at his home in Green Bay in May.
Jacobs has landed on the commissioner’s exempt list, and it appears he will remain there for the foreseeable future. While it is unknown when he will suit up for the Packers this year, the team has remained supportive of him amid his off-field legal issues. However, head coach Matt LaFleur may have taken it a step too far with his latest comments about the star running back.
Matt LaFleur Comes Under Fire for Josh Jacobs Comments
Ever since entering the league as the No. 24 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Jacobs has been one of the most productive running backs in the league. That has continued in his first two seasons with the Packers, and entering the new season, he was set to reprise his role as their lead running back.
Jacobs’ status has been tenuous for much of the offseason as a result of the aforementioned charges he is currently facing. Prosecutors allege that, amid a verbal argument, Jacobs got physical with his girlfriend at the time. They claim he threw her to the ground, and that there is video evidence that supports their argument.
Jacobs pleaded no contest to the charges, which will likely lead to a suspension from the league in the near future. While the Packers could have moved on from Jacobs, they have stuck by him and will seemingly welcome him back with open arms once he is free to play. LaFleur may have gone a bit overboard when discussing Jacobs’ incident, though, as he casually referred to it as an “unfortunate situation.”
“No. I know the guy, and I know the character of the guy,” LaFleur said when asked if his opinion of Jacobs had changed as a result of this incident. “Unfortunately, situations occur in life, and it’s just an unfortunate situation.”
All Eyes on Potential Josh Jacobs Suspension
In the legal system, you are obviously innocent until proven guilty, but that doesn’t really give LaFleur an excuse to essentially toss aside this entire incident without batting an eye. He can certainly support Jacobs since he’s a member of his team, but simply labeling this an unfortunate situation doesn’t properly address the gravity of the situation.
Regardless, a suspension appears to be on the horizon for Jacobs, with the expectation being that he will miss the first four to six games of the season. At the very least, Green Bay knows it will be without Jacobs for its season-opener at the very least, which means that MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, and Kaleb Johnson will be handling the majority of the work out of the backfield against the Vikings.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur’s Latest Josh Jacobs Comments Turn Heads