Josh Jacobs Pleads No Contest to Battery, Fined $1,000, as Wisconsin Judge Seals the Video Evidence

Since Hobart-Lawrence police responded to a 911 call from a neighbor at Josh Jacobs' Wisconsin home in the early hours of May 23, the case has moved from a domestic dispute report to an arrest, formal charges, and now a courtroom resolution. The Green Bay Packers running back pleaded no contest Thursday, September 10, to misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor criminal damage to property in Brown County Circuit Court, according to NFL.com and USA Today.

Judge Marc Hammer found Jacobs guilty on the battery count and ordered a $1,000 fine plus court costs, WTMJ-TV reported. The property damage charge got a deferred judgment: if Jacobs stays out of trouble, avoids contact with the victim, submits to supervision, completes counseling, and pays restitution over the next 12 months, the state will dismiss it. A review hearing is set for September 10, 2027, according to WTMJ-TV.

"I fully understand the seriousness of the situation, and I take full responsibility," Jacobs told the court, according to NFL.com.

What prosecutors say happened

According to the criminal complaint cited by NFL.com and WTMJ-TV, the victim told police she had been looking through Jacobs' phone and became upset after seeing conversations with other women. Jacobs allegedly grabbed her arm and threw her to the ground in the garage, causing her to hit her head, then took her phone and damaged it. Police said they observed redness on her face and neck and a bump on the back of her head. Surveillance footage from the garage, prosecutors said, corroborated her account.

Brown County District Attorney David Lasee told the court the case was not charged as domestic violence because Wisconsin law requires a domestic relationship—marriage, cohabitation, or children in common—none of which applied to Jacobs and the victim, according to USA Today.

The sealed video

A Brown County judge separately issued an order sealing all discovery material in the case, including the surveillance video, police reports, and photographs, according to the New York Post. The order states that public disclosure "would threaten or substantially impair Defendant's and [the victim's] privacy, dignity, personal security, emotional wellbeing, or ability to participate safely in the criminal-justice process." The Post noted the order is temporary, pending further motions from either side, and that the footage had been expected to become available through a public records request once the criminal case closed.

The surveillance video that prosecutors described in the criminal complaint, showing Jacobs allegedly throwing his girlfriend to the ground and later returning to damage her phone, will not be released to the public under the current order.

No jail time, no admission of guilt

A no-contest plea means Jacobs neither admits nor denies the allegations but accepts the punishment as if found guilty. He faces no jail time. His attorneys, David Chesnoff, Richard Schonfeld, and Clarence Duchac III, said in a joint statement that "Josh has accepted responsibility for his conduct and resolved this matter," and pointed to what they called "a career-long history of Josh's community work while in the NFL," including his 2022 Ed Block Courage Award, an honor voted on by Raiders teammates. Chesnoff said Jacobs "has already voluntarily commenced counseling" and apologized "to his teammates, the Packers organization and most importantly the fans of the Green Bay Packers."

That community record and the counseling he's already started are the strongest points his side has made publicly. Whether that context should factor into any NFL discipline is a separate question the league hasn't answered.

The NFL still hasn't ruled

Jacobs has been on the Commissioner's Exempt List since August 30, which bars him from practicing or playing but lets him keep collecting a paycheck, per NFL.com. The league's statement to USA Today was unchanged Thursday: "We have been closely monitoring all developments in the matter which remains under review of the personal conduct policy. There is no change to his status as he remains on the Commissioner's Exempt list."

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Thursday he still has no clarity from the league office on a potential suspension, according to WTMJ-TV. The original November 17 court date had been moved up specifically to land just three days before Green Bay's season opener at Minnesota. The legal case is now resolved, but the football consequences aren't.

In Jacobs' absence, the Packers backfield has been running on MarShawn Lloyd, who has played in just one game over two seasons in Green Bay, rookie-year contributor Kaleb Johnson, and Chris Brooks, who has 395 career rushing yards in 41 NFL games, according to Yahoo Sports. Whether Jacobs plays again this season now depends entirely on a personal conduct policy decision the league has not scheduled or previewed.