Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was placed on the NFL’s Commissioner’s Exempt list Sunday, ESPN reported, after he was charged Thursday with a pair of misdemeanors in connection to a May arrest in Wisconsin.
According to the report, Jacobs will not be able to practice with the team or attend games while on the exempt list.
Jacobs was formally charged last week with misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property. The charges, filed by the Brown County District Attorney’s Office, carry maximum penalties of nine months in jail and/or a $10,000 fine.
Jacobs, 28, was booked on May 26 by the Hobart-Lawrence (Wis.) Police Department on initial charges of battery (domestic abuse, criminal damage to property), domestic abuse, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse, strangulation and suffocation) and intimidation of a victim.
No formal charges were filed immediately, with the district attorney’s office saying there is a distinction between the evidence threshold for an arrest and the standard required for a criminal conviction. Probable cause is sufficient for an arrest, while a conviction requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt,
Prosecutors decided not to file the felony charge of strangulation and suffocation in addition to misdemeanor charges.
Jacobs, through his attorneys, issued a statement following the arrest vehemently denying the allegations.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said the team was prepared for a possible suspension for Jacobs.
Jacobs rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns in 15 games (all starts) last season. He also had 36 receptions for 282 yards and a score.
Signed to a four-year, $48 million deal in 2024, Jacobs is a three-time Pro Bowl selection (2020, 2022, 2024). He also was a first-team All Pro in 2022, when he led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,653 yards as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Jacobs has rushed for 7,803 yards with 74 TDs in 105 games (104 starts) with the Raiders (2019-23) and Packers (2024-present). He has 269 catches for 2,072 yards and two scores. The Raiders picked him in the first round (24th overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Alabama.
