Attorneys for Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs say newly released police records containing old allegations of domestic abuse could put his NFL career at risk. They call the claims a character attack and say evidence contradicts them.
In a statement released Sunday, attorneys David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Clarence F. Duchac III said the allegations concern events from 2021 and 2022. They described the accounts as hearsay and criticized police for releasing them without investigating whether they were accurate.
The NFL said Saturday it is reviewing the allegations, which came to light during an investigation into a May 23 domestic incident involving Jacobs and a former girlfriend in Green Bay.
Jacobs had already faced an NFL investigation over that incident. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property. He was convicted of battery in September and spent six games on the commissioner’s exempt list before returning to the Packers.
Green Bay has also been linked to trade discussions with the Indianapolis Colts about running back Jonathan Taylor, prompting speculation about Jacobs’ future with the team.
Jacobs’ attorneys criticized the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department’s release of the case file, which they said contained summaries of three phone interviews conducted years after the alleged incidents. They said Jacobs denies all three accounts and has evidence supporting his version of events.
The attorneys also said police did not give Jacobs a chance to provide evidence because the department took no action on what they described as old, unsubstantiated claims.
According to the statement, one of the women had previously made a claim to the NFL, which reviewed it and decided not to take action. The attorneys said Jacobs retained evidence supporting his account and the league’s decision, but that the police file did not include or refer to it.
They said a second woman made a claim in 2021 after Jacobs called Las Vegas police to report misconduct at his home. The attorneys said a police report from that day undermined her account and that no further action was taken after she was removed from the home.
A third woman reportedly told police that Jacobs slapped her, threw her onto a bed and then onto the floor, spat on her and grabbed her by the throat in January 2022.
Jacobs denies that any physical altercation occurred with the third woman, his attorneys said. They said she asked to visit him in Las Vegas and stayed at his home, where another person was present for part of the visit. She left the next evening in a car she had ordered herself, they said. The attorneys added that a ride receipt in the police file supports Jacobs’ account of how the visit ended.
The statement also addressed the May incident, saying Jacobs accepted responsibility and reached an agreement with prosecutors involving two misdemeanor offenses. His attorneys said he is complying with the court’s requirements.
