GREEN BAY, Wis. — While the Green Bay Packers prepare to host the Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field on Sunday, Josh Jacobs will remain in the throes of a legal battle.
The team’s running back is suing the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department to prevent the release of records and video evidence depicting a May 23 domestic altercation inside his home with Jacobs’ then-girlfriend. A temporary sealing of the records was lifted on Sept. 24, and the department approved the release of certain records—with redactions to protect the identity of both parties—on Oct. 14.
Jacobs filed the suit on Thursday to block the release of the video, seeking a “permanent Injunction, protective order and order restricting access to records under Wis. Stat.19.356.”
In the suit, Jacobs’ justification for keeping the video from being released is to preserve “private details” of his home—specifically his garage’s interior—that could reveal “configuration, entrances, exits, doors, windows, storage areas, security arrangements, or other details that could be used to evaluate how the garage or residence might be entered."
Public sports figures have been targeted for robbery and related property crimes. The public availability of Plaintiff's schedule or travel information increases the risk that persons could identify periods when Plaintiff is away from home and use released information concerning the residence, garage, access points, security arrangements, or property to target the property. Widespread public dissemination of those details would materially increase Plaintiff's vulnerability to theft, burglary, robbery, trespass, or other targeted criminal conduct.”
The victim in the suit, identified as “Jane Doe ANM,” has also agreed to prohibit access to the video, citing her own concerns.
Plaintiff joins ANM’s position and supports her request to protect her privacy, dignity, personal security, emotional well-being, and ability to participate safely in the criminal justice process. ANM is a crime victim who seeks closure, not public attention. ANM is not publicly known by her identity and has deliberately avoided public discourse concerning the underlying incident. Public release of records that identify, depict, locate, or disclose sensitive information concerning ANM would force unwanted exposure upon her and risk revictimizing her through renewed public scrutiny.
“Plaintiff requests that Defendant be prohibited from publicly releasing information that directly or indirectly identifies, locates, depicts, or reveals private or sensitive information concerning ANM. Redaction limited to names or faces would not adequately protect ANM. In addition, with today’s advanced AI her body shape and other indicia of her identity in the video could lead to identifying her.”
The Hobart-Lawrence Police Department has 20 days to respond, according to the suit. Jacobs remains on the Commissioner’s Exempt List as of Oct. 15, and he’s already missed five games of the Packers’ season. If he’s suspended, the games he’s missed will count as time served toward that suspension. It’s anyone’s guess as to when that will happen, though, as the NFL has been diligently trying to gain access to the surveillance video from Jacobs’ garage.
According to what was detailed in the police report, the video displayed Jacobs shoving his then-girlfriend to the ground. The report also states that the victim hit her head—and the bump on her head supported that claim—before walking back into the house after lying on the ground for a while. In the midst of the incident, Jacobs smashed the victim’s phone.
Three days later, Jacobs was arrested by the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department and booked into Brown County Jail on five charges, one of which—strangulation and suffocation—was a Class H felony. Three of the charges were dismissed, and two of them—battery and criminal damage of property—were reduced to misdemeanors. Jacobs pled no-contest to the two misdemeanors. His Nov. 17 court date was moved up to Thursday, Sept. 10, and Jacobs accepted a plea deal that included a $1,000 fine.
Notably, the prosecutors opted not to pursue a domestic violence charge, but that’s more a result of location than anything else. The only thing keeping Jacobs from being charged with domestic violence is the incident taking place in the state of Wisconsin, where either being married or formerly married, or sharing a child, is a prerequisite. Jacobs’ relationship with the victim doesn’t fall under that umbrella.
By pleading no contest, Jacobs is neither admitting guilt nor claiming his innocence, but he’s accepting the charges. The criminal damage of property charge will be dismissed in a year if Jacobs follows these stipulations:
Do no further criminal acts
Do not contact the victim
Submit to Criminal Justice Services for supervision for the next 12 months
Complete a course for battery
Pay restitution to the victim
Jacobs was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List on Aug. 30, prohibiting him from participating in practices or attending games. The league is conducting its own investigation while legal proceedings unfold, and it will likely determine that Jacobs violated the league’s Personal Conduct Policy. However, matters could become increasingly difficult with the existence of the video and the ensuing protection of it. The league’s decision-makers could withhold from suspending Jacobs until they see the video for themselves; what it contains could drastically alter Jacobs’ playing career.
Zachary Jacobson is the author of The Packer Dispatch. He is entering his 12th season covering the Green Bay Packers after spending seven as the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter @zachjacobson or contact him via email at itszachariahj@gmail.com.