NFL will remove Packers' Josh
Jacobs from commissioner's exempt list. He can play again on Oct. 25
[October 17, 2026]
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers running back Josh
Jacobs is getting removed from the commissioner's exempt list and
will be eligible to play again Oct. 25 at Detroit.
The NFL announced Friday that Jacobs would be removed from the list
on Monday, although the league's investigation of him under its
personal conduct policy continues unaffected by the change to his
roster status.
Jacobs has missed the Packers' first five games and also won't be
available for their Sunday night matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at
Lambeau Field. The NFL started investigating Jacobs after his arrest
in May, which followed an altercation with Jacobs’ then-girlfriend.
Jacobs’ lawyers — Clarence F. Duchac III, David Z. Chesnoff and
Richard A. Schonfeld — issued a statement on his behalf following
the NFL’s announcement.
“Josh has dedicated the last several months to bettering himself,
and he accepts responsibility for his actions,” they said. “He is
excited to get back to work and on the field with his teammates.
Josh is grateful for the support he is receiving from his teammates,
coaches, the Packers organization, and the greatest fans in the
world. Since there are ongoing legal matters, he will not have any
further comment.”
Jacobs pleaded no contest last month to misdemeanor charges of
battery and criminal damage to property. The NFL placed him on the
commissioner's exempt list on Aug. 30, shortly after charges were
filed against him.
His status on the commissioner’s exempt list had prevented the
three-time Pro Bowl selection from practicing or attending games.
Players continue to get paid while on the commissioner’s exempt
list. Upon request and with the club’s permission, they also can be
present at the club’s facility on a reasonable basis for meetings,
individual workouts, therapy and rehabilitation and other permitted
non-football activities.
This announcement comes two days after Jacobs filed a lawsuit in
Brown County (Wisconsin) Circuit Court against the Hobart-Lawrence
(Wisconsin) Police Department as he seeks to have evidence in his
case permanently sealed.
When charges were filed against Jacobs, the criminal complaint
against him noted that a surveillance video from the camera system
in their garage corroborated the woman’s statement. That video
hasn’t been released.
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Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs stands on the field
before a preseason NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals,
Aug. 28, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)
The victim in that case already had requested that
the evidence be permanently sealed. Clarence Duchac, the lawyer
representing Jacobs in this lawsuit, said in his complaint that
Jacobs “joins and supports (the victim’s) position that the
identifying, private and sensitive records associated with the
underlying incident should not be publicly released.”
The complaint also noted that public sports figures have recently
been targeted for robberies and other related property crimes, and
that releasing the video would reveal details of the garage’s
interior that might put Jacobs at risk.
Jacobs was arrested May 26, three days after police officers came to
his Wisconsin home to investigate a disturbance. According to
police, the woman told them that Jacobs grabbed her and threw her to
the ground as she was trying to exit a garage door, causing her to
hit her head. Police said Jacobs also took her phone from her while
she was on the ground.
Police said they noticed redness on her face and neck and could feel
a bump on the back of her head.
Under an agreement Jacobs reached with prosecutors, the criminal
damage charge against him can be dismissed in a year if he fulfills
terms that include staying out of trouble.
Jacobs rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. He ran
for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024 on his way to a Pro Bowl
selection in his first year with the Packers.
Green Bay (3-2) has rushed for an NFL-low 60.4 yards per game so far
this season while Jacobs has been unavailable. The Packers average
3.1 yards per carry to rank next-to-last in the league, ahead of
only Las Vegas.
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