Packers running back Josh Jacobs'
initial court appearance gets moved up to Thursday
[September 05, 2026]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs’ initial court appearance
on two misdemeanor charges stemming from a May altercation with his
girlfriend has been moved up two months and now will take place next
week.
Jacobs’ hearing originally was scheduled for Nov. 17. The hearing
now is set for Thursday, three days before the Packers open the
season at Minnesota.
The NFL has placed Jacobs on the commissioner’s exempt list, which
prevents the three-time Pro Bowl running back from playing or
practicing but allows him to keep receiving a paycheck. The NFL made
that move Sunday, three days after Brown County (Wisconsin) District
Attorney David Lasee announced that Jacobs was being charged with
battery and criminal damage to property.
Upon request and with the club’s permission, players on the
commissioner’s exempt list may be allowed at the facility for
meetings, individual workouts, therapy and rehabilitation and other
nonfootball activities.
The NFL is investigating Jacobs’ situation and he could be suspended
by the league. Any games he misses while on the exempt list would
count toward his suspension, but he would have to repay the money he
earned during that time.
Jacobs’ lawyers — David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and
Clarence F. Duchac III — have noted that the move to the
commissioner’s exempt list “is not a final determination.” They
added that Jacobs “looks forward to his return to the team and the
NFL.”
Jacobs was arrested May 26, three days after Hobart-Lawrence police
officers came to his home to investigate a disturbance. Police said
Jacobs’ girlfriend told them she had a lump on her head as a result
of Jacobs’ actions.
According to police, the woman said she had been looking through
Jacobs’ phone and saw he was talking to other women, and that she
threw the phone in anger without breaking it. She told police that
Jacobs had her phone and she told him he could look through it.
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Green Bay Packers' Josh Jacobs talks to Marshawn Lloyd before a
preseason NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Friday,
Aug. 28, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Police said the woman indicated she tried to
retrieve her phone from Jacobs, but he grabbed her arm and began a
struggle that lasted several minutes. They left the home in separate
vehicles before eventually returning.
According to police, the woman was trying to exit a garage door when
Jacobs grabbed her and threw her to the ground, causing her to hit
her head. Police said Jacobs also took the phone from her while she
was on the ground. The criminal complaint says surveillance footage
from the camera system in the garage backed up the woman’s
statement.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said this week that the team
hadn’t seen that video footage. He expressed hope that Jacobs would
be available to play at some point this season.
“But we’re going to let this process play out, and we’ll be prepared
either way,” Gutekunst said.
Jacobs is coming off a 2025 season in which he rushed for 929 yards
and 13 touchdowns. The Packers don't have any other running backs
who ran for more than 106 yards last year.
Green Bay acquired 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson from the
Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday to join a running back room that also
includes 2024 third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks.
Green Bay has Pierre Strong Jr. on its practice squad.
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