Former Las Vegas Raiders first-round pick and current Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs received some welcoming news on October 16th.
The NFL is removing him from the Commissioner Exempt List on October 19th, which means he’ll be eligible to play in the Packers’ Week 7 game on October 25th after missing six games.
“The NFL initiated an investigation under the Personal Conduct Policy following Jacobs’ arrest in May,” the NFL wrote in a statement. “The league’s review remains ongoing and is not affected by this change to Jacobs’ roster status.”
Jacobs was placed on the Commissioner Exempt list back on August 30th, and now it looks like he’ll be back on the field next week.
Josh Jacobs Off Commissioner Exempt List, But Was This the Wrong Move by the NFL?
On October 15th, Josh Jacobs filed a civil suit seeking a permanent injunction restricting access to records (including videos) from his altercation with a woman at his home back on May 23rd.
Why would Jacobs want to prevent the NFL from seeing the videos and records that badly? Because it likely wasn’t a pretty sight and something that could very likely ruin his career if those records were released.
Despite this, the NFL is releasing his exemption and allowing him to play in Week 7.
Fans were quick to give their reactions to the news:
“Ridiculous. Says a lot about the NFL.” @johndrichardson
“What a joke man. Beat a woman, no problem. As long as you can play.” @DeepInTheWild
“Him trying to block the video tells you everything you need to know!!! If Ray Rice was blackballed this 
needs to be too!!!!” @hoagie06
Here’s a statement on behalf of Jacobs’ attorneys Clarence F. Duchac III, David Z. Chesnoff, and Richard A. Schonfeld:
“Josh has dedicated the last several months to bettering himself, and he accepts responsibility for his actions. He is excited to get back to work and on the field with his teammates. Josh is grateful for the support he is receiving from his teammates, coaches, the Packers organization, and the greatest fans in the world. Since there are ongoing legal matters, he will not have any further comment.”
Latest Update on Ashton Jeanty’s Health
As for the Raiders and their situation with running back Ashton Jeanty, he spoke with reporters ahead of the matchup against the Buffalo Bills and said he’s feeling good.
“Yeah, I’d say so, for sure,” Jeanty said when asked if this is the best he’s felt this season. “I think anything you sustain some tackling that’s, you know, the ground you face and if you can overcome that and most likely you can play with it. If I know I can’t … of course you can sit out.”
The question is, should the Raiders give Jeanty a week to rest?
“Jeanty leads a Raiders’ backfield that’s averaging an NFL-worst 3.0 yards per carry and is bottom five in rushing yards per game (82.0), rushing EPA (-29.7) and rushing success rate (30.8 percent),” Sam Warren of The Athletic wrote. “The struggles raise the question of whether letting Jeanty rest would bring more success to their running attack in the long term, and possibly even the short term.”
Former Raiders RB Josh Jacobs’ News Sparks Major NFL Backlash