Josh Jacobs is stuck in limbo. The Packers running back was charged with two misdemeanors, battery and criminal damage to property, stemming from a May 23 incident that police responded to on an open 911 line. Those charges are actually reduced from the five he originally faced, which included felony strangulation. He's been on the NFL's Commissioner's Exempt List since late August, unable to practice or play while the league reviews the matter.
Josh Jacobs’ initial court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 17, but the NFL does not have to wait for the legal process to be completed before issuing discipline.
Adam Schefter laid out the calendar: Jacobs' initial court appearance is Nov. 17, but the NFL doesn't have to wait on the legal process before handing down its own discipline. That's the tension hanging over Green Bay right now — a franchise back on a 4-year, $48 million deal, out indefinitely, with a resolution that could land well before or well after a verdict.
GM Brian Gutekunst addressed it directly on Tuesday, saying he expects Jacobs to play for the Packers this season and that he'll let the process play out rather than speculate about a release. But the more striking admission was that the Packers themselves haven't seen the garage video referenced in the police report — the piece of evidence at the center of the case.
Adam Schefter followed up with the same detail, and ProFootballTalk noted the Packers don't appear to be planning to ask Jacobs to hand it over. That's a franchise choosing to stay at arm's length from the evidence while publicly backing its guy. Head coach Matt LaFleur struck a similar note, saying he trusts Jacobs "until proven otherwise."
The locker room has been just as vocal. MarShawn Lloyd, stepping into the RB1 role in Jacobs' absence, didn't dodge the topic when asked about his teammate.
MarShawn Lloyd on Josh Jacobs: “I feel for him. He’s a brother forever … what he’s going through, we’re going through it with him.” Lloyd later said, “I don’t know what’s going on, but that’s my brother, so I just gotta stay on that forever. He’s helped me when I was in the worst part of my life really when I was going through those last two years.”
Lloyd's comments matter because he's the guy directly benefiting from Jacobs' absence on the field, and he still framed it as a brotherhood issue rather than an opportunity. That's the split screen in Green Bay right now: a team publicly standing behind its back, a locker room echoing that support, and a court date more than 2 months out that could still be overtaken by the league's own investigation at any point.