GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers running back Josh Jacobs, in his first comments since his arrest in May following an incident with a woman at his home, admitted Wednesday that he made a mistake but said he was never concerned that his career was over and did not think he would miss as many games as he did.
“I’m remorseful and sorry for putting this team in this situation,” Jacobs said, his voice quivering. “Sometimes when you go through life, situations occur and a four-second, three-second decision can alter your life, honestly. But with that being said, still a human being, man, still trying to learn, still trying to grow from the whole process.
“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.”
Jacobs had been on the NFL commissioner exempt list since the start of the regular season, meaning he could not practice or play in the first six games. He could be around the team facility and work out there. The league removed him from the list Monday, although its investigation into violations of the personal conduct policy remains active. The six games he has missed will be credited toward any suspension that could be forthcoming, but as of now, Jacobs is cleared to play Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
“I think six games was a lot, honestly, but that’s not really up to me to decide,” Jacobs said. “I’m grateful to be playing, so that’s not even something that I’m like arguing or petitioning with. I’m just happy to be back on the team.”
Jacobs pleaded no contest Sept. 10 to charges of battery and criminal destruction of property resulting from the May 23 incident with a woman at his home near Green Bay. He was convicted of battery and fined $1,000 and reached a deferred judgment agreement on a charge of damage to property.
“I would say obviously you never want to be in this situation, but just me being honest, for my life, it was probably one of the best things to ever happen to me,” Jacobs said. “I say that because it gave me a chance to sit down and reevaluate what’s important and what I want my life to look like, and what do I want people to know me for. When they think of me, what are they going to say? Another thing that it showed me, man, was the people that were in my corner. A lot of people I didn’t even know or even expect to be in my corner, they showed up. So that was huge for me. It just gave me more appreciation, more love honestly for this organization and this team.”
The Packers have stood by Jacobs from the start and allowed him to participate in the entire offseason program and training camp.
“I think a lot of times you get in a situation where you might not make the right decision,” coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday. “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 just, I believe in second chances.”
Part of the reason the NFL has not closed its investigation is because of the existence of surveillance video from Jacobs’ garage, where part of the incident took place. Both Jacobs and the woman have filed suit to have the evidence permanently sealed. Jacobs would not say whether he made financial payments to the woman beyond what the court ordered.
Jacobs first addressed the issue with the team in May and said he was grateful for the support he received in the locker room and that he wasn’t concerned whether people outside of the organization supported him or not.
“I’m not trying to win nobody back,” Jacobs said. “And that’s just me being all the way honest, because at the end of the day, like I said, I know what happened, and if you feel some type of way, obviously I feel bad because it’s still a situation occurred and it should’ve never even happened. So that’s something that I still will understand if people feel some type of way about it, but like I said, all I can do is keep showing up and being who I am, being a leader for this team, being a leader in this community and that’s really all I can control.”
Without Jacobs, the Packers have had the worst running game in the NFL, ranking last in rushing yards per game at 59.8 yards. Jacobs was the Packers’ leading rusher the previous two seasons, ranking eighth in the league in combined rushing yards (2,258) and tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns (28) during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. While Jacobs said he wasn’t sure whether he would play Sunday, quarterback Jordan Love made it sound like there was little doubt.
“We’ll give Josh as many touches as he needs, try to get him rolling,” Love said. “Obviously first game back for him, he’s missed a lot of time, so it’s one of those things we’ll see.”
Because the Packers held what LaFleur called a walk-through, Jacobs technically has not practiced with the team since the end of training camp. He is expected to practice Thursday. So is Love, who was listed on the injury report for the first time this season with a back injury. Love was listed as a limited participant, although that was merely an estimation because it wasn’t a full practice. However, Love said there is no chance he will miss Sunday’s game.
