Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs addressed the new abuse allegations against him for the first time Wednesday afternoon.
Jacobs, who returned to the field for the Packers in recent weeks, once again denied any wrongdoing. He said the latest wave of abuse allegations, which came after his arrest earlier this year, felt like an “attack”.
“It really felt like an attack on me and who I am and my character,” Jacobs said via NBC26’s Kelly Hallinan. “At the end of the day, a lot of things are said about me that are completely false, completely made up. People just roll with it.
“I can’t change that…I didn’t want to go to a place where I felt closed off and I’m angry all the time because of what’s going on in my life.”
New allegations against Josh Jacobs
Jacobs was first arrested in northern Wisconsin in May and charged with multiple counts of domestic violence. He allegedly grabbed a woman who was trying to leave her garage and threw her to the ground.
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Jacobs was formally charged with battery and criminal damage to property after this incident. He pleaded no contest to both charges. Jacobs landed on the commissioner’s exempt list following his arrest and missed the first six games of the season.
Last week, previously unreleased records from the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department revealed they had been contacted by at least three other women accusing Jacobs of abuse.
A woman told police that Jacobs slapped her in the face and took her phone as she tried to leave her home. She said Jacobs grabbed her by the hair and throat, slammed her onto the bed and threw her to the floor. A second woman said Jacobs grabbed her arm, pushed her against the wall and threw her items outside the house.
A third woman said Jacobs flew her to his house, then grabbed her by the head, dragged her, scratched her chest and took her phone after it fell to the ground during an altercation. The woman said she had bruises on her arm and scratches on her chest, and that she did not report it because she feared she would be deported from the United States.
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Jacobs has denied any wrongdoing through his lawyerand said they had “a substantial body of hard evidence to support his claims.”
“Everything my attorney said in the statement, that’s one of the things I’m going to rely on,” Jacobs said. “It’s just one of those things where anything can be said and people will just roll with it. I can’t really change how you feel. But at the end of the day, I know what I have on my part.”
Jacobs returned to the field in the Packers’ loss to the Detroit Lions on October 25, and he had 36 yards on 11 carries in that contest. He had 29 yards on 21 carries and scored a touchdown the following week in their victory against the Carolina Panthers.
The NFL is investigating the new allegations against Jacobs and could still issue a suspension. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Monday they were letting the league process play out, but he expected Jacobs to stay with the Packers.
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Jacobs said he doesn’t expect another suspension, either.
“With all the evidence that we have and that they have, at this point, it’s not one of those things where I sit back like, ‘OK, am I going to play this week?’ I already know what it is,” Jacobs said. “It’s really up to them to make their final decision. But I’m not worried about feeling like I’m going to miss more time than I already have.”
And his handcuff celebration?
When Jacobs scored a touchdown against the Panthers, he celebrated in the end zone at Lambeau Field by appearing to imitate that his hands were handcuffed behind his back — which drew criticism given his recent arrest and the abuse allegations that were made against him.
Jacobs again denied that the celebration had anything to do with his arrest and instead said it was referring to a gospel song.
He did, however, say he spoke with LaFleur and apologized for the extra attention it brought to the team.
“It wasn’t my intention to say that it would be negative,” Jacobs said. said. “What I got when he came towards me was that it’s not just me who has to answer for this… I told him that, I apologize.”
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