Packers' Josh Jacobs says he's "not worried" about new abuse allegations

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs says he isn't worrying about whether additional allegations will lead to more punishment from the NFL.

Jacobs spoke to reporters Wednesday after practice, his first public comments since police records revealed three new accounts of abuse from women who said they had encounters with him years ago.

“With all the evidence that we have and that they have at this point, it’s not one of those things where I’m sitting back on my hands like, ‘OK, am I going to play this week?’” Jacobs said.

“It’s like, I kind of already know what it is, so it’s like … it’s really just up to them to make their final decision. But I’m not worried about feeling like I’m going to miss any more time than I already have.”

Jacobs has already missed significant time this season.

He spent the first six games on the commissioner’s exempt list, which prevented him from practicing or playing.

He has since returned to the field and played in the Packers’ last two games.

The NFL has said its investigation into Jacobs remains open and active.

That means he could still face additional discipline from the league, even after serving the de facto suspension of six games.

THE NEW ALLEGATIONS

The Hobart-Lawrence Police Department in Wisconsin released records Friday night in response to a public records request.

The documents included accounts from three women who reported incidents that they said occurred in 2021 and 2022.

One woman told police that on January 5, 2022, Jacobs slapped her after she said she had not come for sex.

She said he threw her phone into a swimming pool, grabbed her by the hair, pinned her on a bed and threw her to the floor.

She said she came forward because she saw a pattern similar to the May 2023 incident that led to Jacobs’ arrest.

A second woman described an incident in April 2021.

She said Jacobs pushed her against a wall and threw her belongings out of his home.

She reported bruised arms and swelling near her ribs.

Police records from that incident show officers saw no visible signs of injury, bruising or damage consistent with a physical altercation.

A third woman said that in May 2022, Jacobs grabbed her by the hair, dragged her, scratched her chest and took her phone.

She told police she did not report it at the time because she was not a U.S. citizen and Jacobs had told her she could be deported.

JACOBS’ RESPONSE

Jacobs described the new allegations as an attack on his character.

“It really feels like an attack on me and who I am and my character,” Jacobs said Wednesday.

“And at the end of the day, there’s a lot of stuff being said about me that’s completely false. Like, completely made up. And it’s like people just run with it. And I can’t change that.”

He said he is trying not to let the negative moments change who he is.

“I didn’t want to go to a place where I felt like I was closed off and I’m angry all the time because of what’s going on in my life,” he said.

His lawyers — David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Clarence F. Duchac III — issued a statement Saturday.

They said Jacobs has a “substantial body of tangible evidence” disputing the allegations that surfaced in the records release.

They described the allegations as “old, are hearsay and easily disproven.”

THE LEGAL BACKGROUND

Jacobs pleaded no contest on September 10 to charges of battery and criminal damage to property.

Those charges stemmed from a May 26 incident in which his then-girlfriend said he had thrown her to the ground three days earlier.

The criminal case is now closed.

But the NFL’s personal conduct policy gives the league authority to discipline players even after criminal charges are resolved.

The league can impose fines, suspensions or other penalties based on its own investigation.

The commissioner’s exempt list is a separate mechanism that allows the NFL to place a player on paid leave while an investigation is pending.

Jacobs was placed on that list for the first six games of the season.

Once the league completes its investigation, it could decide that the time already served on the exempt list is sufficient punishment.

Or it could impose additional discipline, including a further suspension.

THE PACKERS’ POSITION

Multiple reports indicate the Packers plan to keep Jacobs on the roster while the NFL investigation continues.