Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs, back with the team and hoping to make his season debut this week, apologized Wednesday to the Packers for the domestic incident that led to his arrest in May.
Jacobs entered no-contest pleas to battery and criminal destruction of property charges last month in connection with that case that involved a woman at his Wisconsin home. He received a $1,000 fine on the battery count and made a judgement-deferral agreement on the property count.
The NFL had Jacobs on the commissioner’s exempt list for the season’s first six games before removing that designation on Monday. Jacobs can practice and play with the team as of the moment, though the league still has a pending personal-conduct investigation regarding his case, leaving open the possibility of further action.
Jacobs spoke with the media on Wednesday for the first time since he was arrested on May 26.
“First, I’m excited to be back with the team, with the guys,” Jacobs said. “I want to say thank you to the organization, really for supporting me throughout this whole process and how everything played out.
“With that being said, I can’t get into things, like specifics of things, but obviously, man, I’m remorseful and sorry for putting this team in this situation. Sometimes when you go through life, situations occur, and four-second, three-second decisions can alter your life honestly.
“With that being said, man, still a human being, man. Still trying to learn. Still trying to grow from the whole process. Actually learned a lot throughout this process, legally and just personally. Yeah, man, going forward, man, just trying to get better.”
He added, “I know for some people this might be a stain on me and my character. I feel like I don’t have to really speak on my character. A lot of people that know me in this locker room or that’s been around me, I’ll let them do that. But for me, man, I’m just trying to come back in here and play ball, learn from this mistake and move forward.”
Packers coach Matt LaFleur wasn’t certain on Wednesday if Jacobs would play on Sunday in Green Bay’s road game against the Detroit Lions.
“We’ll see,” LaFleur said. “We’ll work through it. …
“We’ll have a plan in place, whether or not he can go. And then we’ll adjust from there. But yeah, I think it changes something a little bit in regards to you got a dynamic back that you want to get the ball to. Let him go to work.”
Regarding his reaction to Jacobs rejoining the team following his legal difficulties, LaFleur said, “I think a lot of times you get into a situation where you might not make the right decision. I think people learn from their mistakes. And I think he’s extremely remorseful, and I do believe that he’s a good person. I’ve been around him quite a bit, and I believe in second chances.”
Jacobs, 28, is entering his eighth NFL season, his third with the Packers. Last year, he gained 929 yards on 234 carries (4.0 average) with 13 touchdowns.
The three-time Pro Bowl honoree led the NFL in rushing yards in 2022 with 1,653 for the Las Vegas Raiders. In 105 career games (104 starts), Jacobs has produced 7,803 yards on 1,840 carries (4.2 average) with 74 touchdowns.