Josh Jacobs' attorneys claim evidence contradicts three women's police reports

Josh Jacobs returned to the field for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday after spending the first six games of the season on the commissioner's exempt list. His return coincides with a new legal push by his team to dispute three additional accounts of misconduct that police released on Friday. The defense argues that these reports are not just unverified but are directly contradicted by tangible evidence Jacobs has preserved.

The legal team, led by David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Clarence F. Duchac III, stated that the Brown County District Attorney's office held these claims for months. The attorneys characterized the three accounts as old and hearsay. They noted that one woman made a claim to the NFL, which reviewed the matter and decided no action was warranted. Jacobs' lawyers said they have kept evidence that supports the league's original decision.

In a statement issued Saturday, the attorneys said Jacobs took responsibility for the May incident by pleading no contest to two misdemeanors. They described the current release of records as an act of character assassination that unfairly threatens his career. The lawyers argued that the accounts were released by police without a thorough investigation to determine if they were accurate or contradicted by physical evidence. They emphasized that Jacobs is answering the claims in detail to protect his standing.

The Hobart-Lawrence Police Department released the records in response to a public records request. The documents detail the statements of three women who reported similar incidents years before the May altercation. One woman said Jacobs slapped her and threw her phone into a pool in 2022. Another claimed he pushed her against a wall in 2021, though police records from that visit showed no visible signs of injury. A third woman said she was dragged and scratched in 2022 but did not report it at the time due to deportation concerns.

The original case stems from a disturbance in May when Jacobs was arrested for battery and criminal damage to property. Police said his then-girlfriend hit her head when he threw her to the ground. Surveillance footage from the garage corroborated her statement. Both Jacobs and the victim have since sought to permanently seal that video evidence. The NFL investigation remains ongoing, leaving the possibility of further discipline open.

The attorneys also addressed the timing of the claims. They said one woman only filed a report after Jacobs called Las Vegas police to his home for misconduct. Another woman contacted police after Jacobs' arrest to show a pattern of behavior. The defense maintains that the physical evidence and the NFL's prior review undermine the credibility of these newly publicized accounts.