On Tuesday, Green Bay Packers star running back Josh Jacobs was arrested on several domestic violence charges.
Among those five charges was one felony: strangulation and suffocation.
The alleged incident took place over Memorial Day weekend, and Jacobs turned himself in to the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department in Wisconsin.
He was booked in the Brown County jail on Tuesday and was released on Wednesday pending further investigation. According to the Brown County District Attorney’s office, additional investigation is needed to collect evidence and assess the criminal charges.
“After reviewing the available evidence in this case, the Brown County District Attorney’s Office is not yet prepared to make a formal charging decision,” District Attorney David L. Lasee said in a statement, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “Our office has requested additional investigation, as there is reason to believe that additional evidence may exist that would impact whether criminal charges are appropriate, and what charges would be issued. Mr. Jacobs will be released from custody at this time, and a final charging decision will be made by our office at a later date.”
Jacobs, 28, was arrested on charges of battery (domestic abuse, criminal damage to property), domestic abuse, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse, strangulation and suffocation), and intimidation of a victim.
Green Bay Packers RB Josh Jacobs denies domestic abuse charges against him
He denied the allegations against him on Tuesday through his attorneys, and on Wednesday, they released another statement.
“We are extremely pleased that Josh has been released from custody and that no criminal charges have been filed against him,” they said. “As we previously stated, we encourage everyone to keep an open mind while the matter is fully reviewed. We remain confident that, once all of the evidence is gathered and evaluated, it will confirm that no charges should be brought against Josh in the future.”
Both the league and the Packers have addressed the situation by saying that they were aware of it and would hold off further comment as the legal process plays out. That’s standard operating procedure in the NFL.
Notably, head coach Matt LaFleur was asked about it as the Packers held their first OTA practice available to the media.
“I know there’s going to be a lot of questions about Josh,” LaFleur said. “I’m going to stick with the statement that we put out as an organization and just let the process play out.”
