Josh Jacobs' Lawyers Deny Three Women's Abuse Allegations in Police File as NFL Reviews Them

Since Jacobs was arrested in May over an altercation with his then-girlfriend, the case has moved from a plea to a six-game league sideline to his return to the field. Now it has widened again, and the new material comes from a police file rather than a courtroom.

What the police file contains

The Hobart-Lawrence (Wisconsin) Police Department released its case file Friday night, Oct. 30, in response to a public records request. NBC 26 in Green Bay first reported the release.

The file includes accounts from three women who contacted police after Jacobs' arrest. They describe incidents in April 2021, January 2022 and May 2022. The allegations include grabbing, being pushed against a wall, and being thrown onto a bed and the floor. One woman also alleged he threatened to kill her.

That woman first told police the incident happened around 2023, then said it was Jan. 5, 2022. She said she spent about 11 hours at his home after communicating with him for roughly six months. She alleged that when she told him she had not come for sex, he slapped her, threw her phone into a swimming pool, grabbed her by the hair, threw her on a bed and then the floor, and said, "I should kill you right now." She also said he spat on her.

She said she had not gone to law enforcement earlier because she stayed friends with Jacobs and worried she would not be believed. She said she came forward now because she saw a pattern similar to the May case.

These are allegations. Nothing in the file shows they have been tested in court.

Jacobs' response

Jacobs' attorneys, David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Clarence F. Duchac III, answered twice. On Saturday, they said the Brown County District Attorney's office had "these uncorroborated, old, and previously unreported allegations for months." They said the office and police conducted an "exhaustive investigation" and decided only two misdemeanor charges were warranted.

On Sunday, Nov. 1, they went further. "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 statement said. "Josh is answering them in detail because of the character assassination that is occurring, unfairly threatening his career."

The lawyers said Jacobs denies all three accounts and has a "substantial body of tangible evidence" to back him up. They said the file contains only phone interviews taken years after the events, and that Jacobs was never given a chance to present evidence to Hobart-Lawrence police.

They addressed each woman:

• One made a claim to the NFL, which reviewed it and decided no action was warranted. The lawyers said Jacobs kept evidence supporting his account and the league's decision.
• Another made her claim only after Jacobs called Las Vegas police to his home to report her for misconduct.
• Jacobs denies any physical altercation with the third. The lawyers said she asked to visit, traveled to Las Vegas, and stayed at his home, with another person there for part of her stay.

The lawyers did not release the evidence they described. The NFL declined comment Sunday on the statement.

The criminal case and the league

The underlying case is not in dispute. A woman said Jacobs threw her to the ground in an incident on May 23. He was arrested May 26 and pleaded no contest Sept. 10 to misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property. His lawyers say he took responsibility for May and is meeting the court's requirements.

The NFL placed Jacobs on the commissioner's exempt list in August. He missed the first six games, returned Oct. 19 and has scored three touchdowns in two games since.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Saturday the league will review the new allegations as part of its ongoing investigation. Jacobs could still face further discipline. The Packers had no immediate comment.

Packers and Jonathan Taylor

Fox News Digital and OutKick reported that Green Bay has been in contact with the Indianapolis Colts about trading for running back Jonathan Taylor. That reporting says the Packers would have little reason to pursue Taylor if they expected to keep Jacobs. The Packers have not commented on it.

What comes next

The NFL has not said how long its review will take or whether it will interview the three women. The lawyers' claim that the league already reviewed one woman's complaint and took no action will likely be tested in that process. So will the evidence they say Jacobs has kept. Neither the league nor the Brown County District Attorney has announced any new action based on the file.