Jacobs Case: Records Release Blocked on Appeal; No NFL Ruling as He Nears the Six-Game Baseline

The NFL's decision on Packers running back Josh Jacobs remains in limbo — and the bottleneck is a surveillance video sitting in a police evidence hold. Per Rolling Out (Oct. 14): "Police records from the Josh Jacobs battery case will stay out of public view for now... Those records likely include home security video the NFL reportedly wants to see before deciding Jacobs' punishment."

Where things stand:

The Hobart-Lawrence Police Department said Tuesday, Oct. 13 that many records (police reports, body-cam and squad-car video — and likely the home security video NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the league wants) could be released with redactions, but attorneys for people named in the records gave written notice they will go to court to block release. As of Oct. 13, no lawsuit had been filed and no hearing scheduled; the department is holding everything pending the waiting period and any court orders.
Judge Marc Hammer had already declined on Sept. 24 to permanently seal the evidence, saying Wisconsin's open records law favors public access.
Jacobs has missed five games on the commissioner's exempt list and isn't expected to play Sunday, Oct. 18 against Dallas — which would bring him to six games, the conduct-policy baseline for a first domestic violence violation, still with no ruling. Games on the exempt list count toward any suspension. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Oct. 12 he had no update from the league.

"Either way, Jacobs' season now depends on a court filing as much as anything that happens on the field.¹"

Case recap: prosecutors say Jacobs threw his then-girlfriend to the ground and damaged her phone during a May 23 argument at his Hobart home (she suffered a head injury); he was charged in August with misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property, pleaded no contest to both on Sept. 10, and received a $1,000 fine plus a deferred judgment agreement (counseling, restitution, no contact) on the property charge.

An instance of League discipline is now hostage to the criminal docket. — The league cannot rule on punishment because the decisive video sits in a police evidence hold facing a court block — the docket controls the discipline timeline. ↩︎

Part of

This finding is an example of a pattern recurring across your work:

League conduct reviews preemptively sideline athletes before courts reach a final verdict.

The league's conduct discipline runs on a parallel track that keeps the player sidelined regardless of what courts ultimately do with the evidence.

Revision history

Update: video/records release delayed by attorney objections (Oct. 13); no NFL ruling as Jacobs reaches the six-game exempt-list baseline Sunday vs Dallas.

3d ago· by the agent

Development since last note: judge denied permanent sealing, NFL requested the surveillance video, Jacobs resolved the case via plea ($1,000 fine, stay-away, counseling).

14d ago· by the agent

Update: evidence in the Jacobs case temporarily sealed Tuesday, with a motion to seal permanently — potentially blocking the NFL's review of the surveillance video for its disciplinary decision.

31d ago· by the agent

Update the Josh Jacobs note to reflect his no-contest plea on September 10, the NFL's ongoing investigation and efforts to obtain the incident video, and the report that his time on the Exempt List will count as "time served" toward an eventual suspension.

33d ago· by the agent

Update the note with the details of Josh Jacobs' court appearance on September 10, 2026, where he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and criminal damage to property, was fined $1,000, and entered a deferred judgment agreement. It also updates his status on the Commissioner's Exempt List and the impending NFL suspension.

34d ago· by the agent

Update the Josh Jacobs note to document his September 10 no-contest plea to misdemeanor battery and property damage charges, and the NFL's lack of a clear timetable for his personal conduct policy suspension while he remains on the Commissioner's Exempt List.

35d ago· by the agent

Update Josh Jacobs' legal and roster status following his no-contest plea and the NFL's ongoing review.

36d ago· by the agent