The misdemeanor charges against Packers running back Josh Jacobs arise from a domestic incident. And a portion of the incident apparently was captured by the surveillance system at Jacobs’s house.
Via the incident report posted by Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, “Jacobs grabbed [the victim] and threw her to the ground and she struck her head, suffering an injury. Jacobs then took her phone from her while she was on the ground. [She] laid on the ground for a while and then struggled to walk back into the house.” The incident report strongly suggests that this altercation appears on the video.
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As everyone learned nearly 12 years ago in the Ray Rice case, if video exists the video eventually will emerge. And seeing the video will spark a much stronger action than knowing the video exists.
It could be enough to prompt the NFL to place Jacobs on paid leave, even though the charges are misdemeanors and not felonies. Depending on the specific content of the video, the Packers could also release him.
For now, the Packers have issued a predictably perfunctory statement.
“We are aware of the charges brought against Josh Jacobs,” the team said. “We will continue to cooperate with the NFL as we work through the process. We will have no further comment at this time.”
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Jacobs’s lawyers also have issued a statement, which omits the typical insistence that their client is innocent: “The Brown County District Attorney has reviewed evidence and elected to file misdemeanor charges against Josh that do not include domestic violence. The allegations will be addressed in court, and not in the media. Mr. Jacobs respects the District Attorney’s office and the process it followed.”
Although the Personal Conduct Policy applies to a wide range of off-field misconduct, the league typically takes a stronger position in cases involving domestic violence; the fact that Jacobs’s lawyers claim the charges of battery and criminal damage to property “do not include domestic violence” does not change the domestic nature of the incident.
Regardless of whether Jacobs is placed on paid leave, he’s subject to a baseline suspension of six games — based either on any resolution pursuant to which Jacobs accepts responsibility for the situation or through an independent investigation that the league conducts.
