Josh Jacobs

Introduction

Josh Jacobs, the Green Bay Packers’ star running back and the NFL’s 2022 rushing yards leader, was convicted of misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property on Sept. 10, 2026, after entering no-contest pleas in a domestic incident at his Brown County, Wisconsin home. He was fined $1,000 plus costs, with the property-count sentence suspended, and remains barred from practicing or playing on the NFL’s commissioner exempt list — yet Packers coach Matt LaFleur told reporters a day after the pleas that his feelings about his star back had not changed.

Background Information

Joshua Cordell Jacobs was born February 11, 1998, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He attended McLain High School in Tulsa, where he rushed for 5,372 yards and 56 touchdowns, and he experienced homelessness in middle school; his story was later featured in a Kia commercial that aired during Super Bowl LIV.

Jacobs played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2016 to 2018, was named MVP of the 2018 SEC Championship Game, and was part of Alabama’s 2017 College Football Playoff national championship team. The Oakland Raiders selected him in the first round, 24th overall, in the 2019 NFL draft. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team in 2019 and to his first Pro Bowl in 2020, and in 2022 led the NFL in rushing with 1,653 yards while becoming the first Raider since 1985 to surpass 2,000 scrimmage yards in a season, earning him first-team All-Pro honors.

After five years with the Raiders, Jacobs signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Green Bay Packers in March 2024. He rushed for 1,329 yards and a career-high 15 touchdowns in 2024 and added 939 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025, giving him 7,803 career rushing yards and 74 rushing touchdowns through 2025.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Adjudicated vs. alleged. Jacobs’s convictions on misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property — entered through no-contest pleas on Sept. 10, 2026 — are a matter of court record. His pleas resolved those two misdemeanor counts; any other conduct alleged around his May 2026 arrest was never admitted by Jacobs and never adjudicated in court.

On May 26, 2026, Jacobs was arrested by the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department in Brown County, Wisconsin, stemming from an incident on May 23. He was booked on five domestic battery-related charges and released from jail the next day, May 27, with the investigation remaining pending.

According to reports, dispatch audio later revealed reports of yelling, items being thrown, and a possible assault inside the residence before Jacobs was tracked by law enforcement and booked into the Brown County Jail.

In late August 2026, Jacobs was formally charged with battery and criminal damage to property, both misdemeanors in Wisconsin. Per the criminal complaint, authorities alleged they obtained video showing Jacobs putting his hands on his girlfriend during a heated dispute at his home in May, and investigators alleged he grabbed the woman and “threw her to the ground,” causing injury, and was seen on video taking her phone and appearing to damage it.

At the plea hearing on Sept. 10, 2026, Jacobs entered no-contest pleas to both misdemeanor counts. When the judge asked whether the information in the probable-cause section of the criminal complaint was “true and correct,” Jacobs answered “yes,” stated he understood “the seriousness of the situation,” and said he was taking “full responsibility” for his actions. He was sentenced to a $1,000 fine plus costs on the battery count, and the sentence on the criminal-damage count was suspended.

Public Reaction and Consequences

On August 30, 2026, the NFL placed Jacobs on the commissioner exempt list. While on the list, he is not allowed to practice or play for the Packers, though he continues to be paid. It remains unclear how long he will stay on the list, and the league can still issue a suspension under its personal conduct policy.

“Josh Jacobs has been placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, which is an administrative procedure used by the NFL while a matter is being reviewed. It is not a final determination,” Jacobs’ representation said in a statement at the time. “Josh respects the NFL process, the Packers, and his coaches and teammates. He looks forward to his return to the team and the NFL.”

After the pleas, Jacobs’ attorneys said in a statement: “With this agreement, Josh has accepted responsibility for his conduct and resolved this matter. Today’s resolution is set against a career long history of Josh’s community work while in the NFL, which has centered on the circumstances of his early life.”

Packers coach Matt LaFleur defended Jacobs at a Sept. 11 press conference: “I know the guy. And I know the character of the guy. I’ve said it many times. And unfortunately situations occur in life, and it’s just an unfortunate situation.” Asked why Jacobs remained on the roster after his admission, LaFleur responded, “Guys, I’m not going to get into any of this until the league completes their investigation.”

Current Status

As of mid-September 2026, Jacobs remains on the commissioner exempt list — barred from practicing or playing, though still paid — while the league’s personal-conduct review proceeds. His criminal case is resolved: he was convicted of the two misdemeanors via no-contest pleas on Sept. 10, 2026, fined $1,000 plus costs, and received a suspended sentence on the property count.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The exempt list placement sidelined one of the NFL’s most accomplished running backs at the start of the 2026 season. Jacobs, a three-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro who signed a four-year, $48 million contract with Green Bay in 2024, will at minimum miss the season opener against the Vikings on Sept. 13. Under the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, the baseline minimum suspension for a domestic-abuse incident is six games, a ban that would cost Jacobs games against the Vikings, Jets, Falcons, Bucs, Bears, and Cowboys.

The conviction also reframed the story around him: after five years with the Raiders, Jacobs had anchored the Packers’ backfield with 1,329 rushing yards in 2024 and 939 in 2025, and now carries court-record misdemeanor convictions alongside his playing future. How long he stays sidelined now rests with the league’s review — the only question left after LaFleur stood by him and his attorneys declared the legal matter resolved.