Attorneys representing Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs issued a detailed statement Sunday denying claims made by three women who accused him of prior physical abuse in newly disclosed Wisconsin police records.
The Hobart-Lawrence Police Department released its investigative case file on Friday following a public records request, revealing that three women contacted authorities following Jacobs’ arrest in May. The accounts describe separate alleged incidents spanning 2021 and 2022, when Jacobs played for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Attorneys David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Clarence F. Duchac III strongly contested the reports, saying the running back “denies all three accounts and has a substantial body of tangible evidence to back up his assertions.”
Defense Pushes Back on New Files
In Sunday’s statement, the legal team criticized local authorities for publishing stale claims without conducting further inquiry, describing the situation as an unfair attack on Jacobs’ profession.
“The three accounts are old, are hearsay, and easily disproven, yet released to the media by police without any investigation to determine whether they were accurate or contradicted by evidence,” the lawyers stated. “Josh is answering them in detail because of the character assassination that is occurring, unfairly threatening his career.”
According to the statement, Jacobs resolved one of the matters previously when a woman brought a grievance directly to the NFL. The lawyers said league officials reviewed that report and determined no discipline was warranted. Addressing another report, the legal team stated that a woman lodged an accusation in 2021 only after Jacobs summoned Las Vegas officers to his home because of her alleged misconduct, resulting in a police report that neutralized her claims.
Regarding the third allegation, the attorneys asserted that Jacobs had no physical confrontation with the woman, maintaining that she visited his residence voluntarily and departed the next evening in a vehicle she scheduled herself, which they said is confirmed by transit receipts in the police file.
Details of the Accusations
The files made public Friday summarize allegations gathered by phone by Hobart-Lawrence investigators. According to reporting by ABC News and NBC 26 in Green Bay, the women outlined various altercations:
- One woman alleged that on Jan. 5, 2022, Jacobs became enraged after she declined to have sex, slapping her, throwing her phone into a pool, dragging her by the hair and threatening to kill her.
- A second woman told officers that during an April 2021 encounter, Jacobs pushed her into a wall and seized her by the arms after an argument over medical testing. Police documents noted responding officers found no visible bruising or physical injuries at that time.
- A third woman stated that Jacobs grabbed her hair, held her neck and scratched her chest during a May 2022 visit, adding she did not report it then because Jacobs claimed she could face deportation.
Ongoing NFL Review
Jacobs was arrested on May 26 after officers responded to a disturbance at his residence on May 23, where his then-girlfriend stated he threw her to the floor in a garage. Jacobs pleaded no contest on Sept. 10 to misdemeanor counts of battery and criminal damage to property and is completing court mandates, his attorneys noted.
Following his arrest, the NFL placed Jacobs on the commissioner’s exempt list in August, sidelining him for the opening six games of the season. Jacobs returned on Oct. 19 and has played in two games since his reinstatement.
On Saturday, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league will examine the newly disclosed accounts as part of its open inquiry into Jacobs. The NFL declined to comment on Sunday regarding the attorneys’ statement. The Packers have not issued a public statement concerning the newly released records, leaving Jacobs’ future with the organization and any additional league penalties unresolved.
