JOSH JACOBS SUES WISCONSIN POLICE TO BLOCK VIDEO RELEASE
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs has filed a lawsuit seeking a permanent injunction, protective order and restricted access to records held by a Wisconsin police department, according to CBS Sports and Sportskeeda. The filing aims to prevent the release of video evidence connected to a May incident at his home, in which his partner alleged in a criminal complaint that she was thrown to the ground and suffered a head injury. Jacobs was arrested over the alleged altercation, with formal charges of misdemeanour battery and misdemeanour criminal damage to property brought in late August. In September, he pleaded no contest in Brown County court, was convicted of battery and fined $1,000, while the court accepted a deferred judgment agreement on the property damage charge. Jacobs told the court he fully understood "the seriousness of the situation" and took "full responsibility".
Police said a garage security camera captured footage of the incident, though none exists from inside the house, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky. The NFL is seeking that footage as part of a personal conduct review, and Jacobs remains on the league's commissioner-exempt list with no timetable for a return. Several news organisations submitted open records requests for material related to the case, and the Hobart/Lawrence Police Department indicated that certain records could be released. A court previously denied a request from the alleged victim to have the evidence permanently sealed.
Former NFL player T.J. Houshmandzadeh said on the show Speakeasy that he does not expect Jacobs to play this season, suggesting that women working in senior positions at the NFL's New York offices would likely see the video if released, and that any decision to let him play despite that would draw criticism. He said that if Jacobs does not play this year, it would indicate to him that the video had already been reviewed and treated as a season-long suspension. The NFL has not announced a decision on Jacobs's status, and the civil lawsuit over the records remains pending in Wisconsin.