Coach Matt LaFleur says Packers anticipate keeping Josh Jacobs on their roster

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur says the Packers plan to keep Josh Jacobs on their roster following the news of previous allegations against the running back, who has pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges stemming from a May altercation with his then-girlfriend.

“We’re going to allow the NFL to do its process, but I would anticipate him being a member of us moving forward,” LaFleur said Monday. “That’s really all I have to speak on.”

LaFleur was asked why the Packers weren’t cutting ties with Jacobs.

“Because we’re just going to let everything kind of play out and obviously go from there,” he replied.

Jacobs pleaded no contest on Sept. 10 to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property. He was arrested May 26 after his then-girlfriend said he had thrown her to the ground three days earlier.

In response to a public records request, the Hobart-Lawrence (Wisconsin) Police Department released records from their investigation Friday night that included the accounts of three other women who reported similar incidents from years before.

Jacobs denies previous allegations

After spending the first six games of the season on the commissioner’s exempt list, which prevented him from playing or practicing, Jacobs returned to play in the Packers’ last two games. The NFL has said its investigation into Jacobs is ongoing, which means he still could be subject to more discipline from the league.

Lawyers representing Jacobs said he has a “substantial body of tangible evidence” disputing the allegations that surfaced in Friday’s records release.

“Josh took responsibility for what happened in May,” David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Clarence F. Duchac III said Sunday in a statement. “He entered into an agreement with prosecutors for two misdemeanors, and he is meeting the court’s requirements.

“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. Josh is answering them in detail because of the character assassination that is occurring, unfairly threatening his career.”

Jacobs’ lawyers said that one of the three women made a claim to the NFL, which reviewed it and decided no action was warranted. They said Jacobs “has kept evidence that supports his accounts and the NFL’s decision.”

The NFL declined comment Sunday on the lawyers’ statement. After Hobart-Lawrence police released the records that detailed the accounts from the other women, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy had said Saturday that the league would review these allegations as part of its investigation.

After charges were initially filed against Jacobs, LaFleur said on Sept. 1 that “I believe him and I trust him” and added that “I’m going to do that until proven otherwise.” When Jacobs came off the commissioner’s exempt list and started practicing with the Packers again two weeks ago, LaFleur said that “I think people learn from their mistakes and I think he’s extremely remorseful and I do believe that he’s a good person.”

LaFleur was asked Monday about his support for Jacobs and whether anything had changed in that regard.

“I’m not going to get into that up here right now,” LaFleur said. “We’ll just let the process play out.”

What led to Jacobs’ arrest

Jacobs’ arrest followed a May 23 incident in which police officers came to his Wisconsin home to investigate a disturbance. According to police, a woman told them 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.

Jacobs remains productive on the field

Since returning to the Packers, Jacobs has 32 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown plus 11 catches for 68 yards and two more scores.

Jacobs scored two touchdowns in a 27-19 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday and celebrated the first of those scores by briefly putting his hands together behind his back. Jacobs said after the game that he was paying homage to a gospel song titled “Break Every Chain,” but he was criticized on social media by people who believed he was simulating getting handcuffed.

“That’s something that he and I talked about,” LaFleur said. “I know he had his explanation, and I wasn’t even aware of what happened until I saw the tape. But we had a conversation about that, and I’m going to keep the conversation between him and I, and you know, we’re going to move forward.” ___

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