More women came forward about Packers RB Josh Jacobs, police records show - USA Today
Police records of the Josh Jacobs misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property case indicate the Green Bay Packers' running back had other similar incidents with women.
Jacobs pleaded no contest Sept. 10 in Brown County Circuit Court to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property charges stemming from a May 23 incident in Hobart with a now ex-girlfriend.
The Hobart-Lawrence Police Department late Friday, Oct. 30, released redacted records of its investigation after multiple public records requests. It did not release security camera footage taken inside the garage during the incident, pending a decision by a Brown County judge. Both Jacobs and the victim want that video to remain sealed.
Jacobs' attorneys with the Hanaway Ross Law Firm, provided a statement in response to the records release: "The Brown County District Attorney’s office had these uncorroborated, old, and previously unreported allegations for months. They conducted their own exhaustive investigation, along with the police department, and the D.A. determined that only two misdemeanor charges were warranted. They then entered into a plea agreement with Josh Jacobs. Josh has repeatedly expressed his remorse and is honoring the terms of the agreement."
Jacobs and the victim began arguing on May 23 at his home in Hobart after she accused him of communicating with other women, according to records. According to her statements to police, Jacobs physically assaulted her in a bedroom and later in the garage. During the latter event, she said he threw her down and she struck her head on the concrete floor and believed she lost consciousness. She told police she experiences gaps in her memory regarding portions of the garage incident due to striking her head.
Jacobs damaged one of her cellphones and took a second one and refused to return it. The video footage from the garage shows Jacobs taking the victim's phone while she was on the garage floor and damaging the phone, the criminal complaint said, adding that the video doesn't show any part of the incident inside the residence.
Investigators said they talked to other women who reported similar instances of Jacobs losing his temper, taking their cellphones and not allowing them to leave his presence.
The Green BayPress-Gazette and USA Today Sports had requested records of the incident before filing a motion in Brown County Circuit Court on Oct. 23 for the release of the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department records as well as any other records and video obtained through a search warrant or subpoena. Hobart-Lawrence police released redacted incident reports as well as redacted body camera and squad camera video. Video from inside the residence has not been released.
The six weeks the veteran spent on the exempt list match the length of a standard suspension for a domestic violence case, according to the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and NFLPA. Jacobs' time on the exempt list can count toward a possible suspension retroactively if the league decides to impose one after its investigation concludes.
The league has said the running back is still under investigation for a violation of its personal conduct policy following his arrest, misdemeanor charges and plea deal, even after his return from the exempt list.
The NFL could impose a longer suspension if its investigation concludes it is necessary based on the new information shared in the police documents. Jacobs would have to forfeit salary he earned while on the exempt list and remain unpaid throughout any formal suspension.
Danielle Lerner contributed to this report.
