JOSH JACOBS DENIES HANDCUFFS MEANING IN TOUCHDOWN CELEBRATION

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs denied that his touchdown celebration on Thursday night mimicked being handcuffed. Jacobs put his hands behind his back after scoring against the Carolina Panthers, prompting some observers to interpret the gesture that way. He said the television broadcast showed only part of a celebration he had planned with teammate Savion Williams. “They didn’t even get the whole celebration,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs said he and Williams based the celebration on “Break Every Chain”, a gospel song. He said they had agreed the previous week that his first touchdown celebration would thank God and his next would refer to the song. Jacobs said he had followed the first part of that plan when he scored the previous week. He said the brief footage shown on Thursday had given viewers a different impression of what he intended.

Jacobs was playing his second game of the season after a period of paid leave, according to the account of his return. That leave followed his no-contest plea in connection with a domestic violence accusation made by his girlfriend. His paid leave has ended, but he remains subject to a possible unpaid suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The Packers held off the Panthers on Thursday night and moved to a 5–3 record.